Operation Blackhawk Baby
by ninjanervana
Summary: You've read A Bouncing Bundle of Thunder, you've ready Stork brings a Stark (and if you haven't you should) but now I bring you Operation Blackhawk Baby. What happens when Natasha finds herself unexpectedly pregnant? How will she and Clint handle a potential child in the future? See how everyone reacts as our favorite assassin duo expects a child of their own.
1. Impossible

Hey readers! Sorry it's taken me so long to start this story; I had the worst writers block with this first chapter. I honestly wrote it 3 different times before I wrote this version. Remember I don't own any of the characters, I just write stories. Feel free to check out my other baby stories: A bouncing bundle of thunder and Stork brings a Stark and leave me a review! I do love them.

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Natasha put another clip into her gun before aiming at the target across the room, firing several rounds at it. She didn't particularly care that it was after three in the morning and she was coming up on twenty-four hours since she last slept. This was where she needed to be.

In her mind, the Tower was divided into different areas to work out different emotions; each one had its purpose and each one was used at one time or another depending on what she needed. Her bedroom, her and Clint's bedroom to be correct was a place to rest and relax with the only man she had ever let into her heart, the man who was currently away on a solo mission and hopefully would be back by tomorrow night. While the rest of the Tower was open to all of its inhabitants, their bedroom was only for them; even Asgeir and Alex weren't brought into their personal space. At the moment the bedroom seemed too small, the walls too close to deal with the thoughts in her head.

The living room was a place for laughter and companionship. If you were ever looking for someone, the first place to check was always the living room. Everyone appeared there at least once a day to get work done or simply hang around. Asgeir and Alex would be playing on the carpeted floors or running around the couches, Steve would be on the couch either catching up on the literature he missed during his frozen years or watching some television, Bruce would be sitting in the single person chair brushing up and expanding his medical knowledge, Pepper would be typing away on her laptop, handling the latest Stark Industries problem while Tony sat next to her, tinkering on his latest invention, Jane would be doing some work on her latest astrophysicist experiment while Thor enjoyed the newest iPad purchased. And Clint, Clint would either be up in the air vents simply hanging out or perched on the couch, playing with the kids as they ran past. She didn't really want anyone's company, not that she could have found it at that late hour; the only people who might possibly be awake were Tony and Bruce who might still be working in the lab.

The gym and gun range in the basement was the place where she worked out all her frustrations in as safe of a way as possible. Sometimes she would spare with whoever was down their, Clint and Steve were always the best competitors, other times, like tonight, she would simply take her gun out to the range and imagine the object of her anger and frustration was her target. She could spend anywhere from five minutes to five hours in the basement, all depending on her mood.

As she emptied yet another gun clip, she knew if she hadn't found the peace she was searching for in the three hours she already spent down there, then there was no way she was gonna find it if she spent another three hours shooting at the target. All she would have was a punch of perfectly shot targets and a lot of bullets littering the floor. She carefully put away her gun and all of the bullets she had taken out, Alex and Asgeir were at the age where they enjoyed riding the elevator and exploring the Tower, before she walked into the elevator, heading for the place she hoped to find some peace for her mind.

She took a deep breath as she stepped out onto the roof, the cool night air filling her lungs and clearing her head. As much as she loved the other parts of the Tower, the rooftop was always her favorite place to be. Its silence was only filled by the sounds of New York traffic several stories below and it was almost always empty. This was where she went when she needed to calm her swirling thoughts, work out a difficult problem or handle the latest issue life threw at her. Tonight she was doing all three. She didn't even have the comfort of knowing eventually Clint would join her outside, filling her silence with his company and reassuring her that things would be all right with his presence. She looked down at her ring finger, her eyes catching onto the tiny hawk tattoo on the side of her finger.

"Shit," she muttered, running her hand through her bright red hair as she leaned against the railing that encircled the rooftop. She stared up at the sky, searching for an answer in the barely visible stars. She was only certain of one thing at the moment: she would never ever trust anything the SHIELD doctors told her again.

She understood their thought process, hell she was on board with them up until that day. With all the things that happened to her in the Red Room, she knew her body was full of surprises, but she assumed she knew all of the surprises by now. She was trained, changed to be the ultimate assassin. She had given up all ideas of a normal life; she couldn't even describe what normal was anymore. All she knew was a life of missions, fighting and killing. Now she had added a dysfunctional family into the mix, but things had remained the same for the most part.

Now life had decided to throw her for yet another loop. Not just her, but Clint too. What was supposed to be impossible, what she had been assured was impossible after so many years had happened. "Shit," she cursed loudly, her fists hitting the railing in frustration. "What am I supposed to tell him!" Natasha sighed, putting her head in her hands as she rested her elbows on the railing. _'How am I supposed to tell him I'm pregnant?'_

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Reviews please!


	2. Missing something

Clint spent the six-hour flight tapping his foot, his hands drumming out a beat on his thigh as he finally headed home. He was only gone for a few days, but he was eager to get back home.

He almost snorted at the thought; he had a home. After years of living with the circus and then at a SHIELD facility, the thought of an actual home, not a safe house or a base, but an honest to god home where he wanted to be at the end of the night was mindboggling. But home is where the heart is and he'd be a liar if he said his heart wasn't with a red-haired, green-eyed woman who was probably getting ready to sleep at that hour. He glanced down at his watch, almost midnight; she would still be up, either in the gym working out or up reading one of the books she kept piled on her nightstand.

He frowned as he continued drumming on his leg, his fingers stilling. He could feel something was wrong, something was out of place. He was usually fidgety on the flights, much to the annoyance of Natasha or whoever else he was partnered with, but this time was different brand of fidgety. This time it felt different. He felt as if he was missing something crucial, but couldn't put his finger on it. It wasn't his wedding anniversary, it wasn't his, Natasha's or anyone else's birthday, it wasn't a national holiday. But he couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.

Looking down at his hands, he smiled slightly as he looked at the little black spider tattoo on his finger. _'Tell me what I'm forgetting, Nat,'_ he thought. _'Or at least don't hurt me when I remember.'_

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"Good evening, Mr. Barton," Jarvis said quietly as the elevator doors opened.

"Evening, Jarv. Or I guess morning would be more correct," he said, stepping out of the elevator. He had never been happier to see the living room, complete with scattered toys. He finally felt as if he could come out of skilled assassin mode and just relax.

"You are right, sir; it is already 2:52 in the morning. Good morning, Mr. Barton."

"Thanks Jarv. Nat already in bed?" he asked, heading to the kitchen for a quick glass of water before going to bed.

"Yes, Ms. Romanoff went to bed almost an hour ago. She remained awake until four in the morning yesterday and only slept until seven before beginning her morning workout."

Clint rolled his eyes as Jarvis spoke; even after being married so many years, she still refused to take his last name. "Why hasn't she been sleeping well?" he wondered aloud, his brow furrowing. _'Did something go wrong with her physical?'_ he wondered, placing his half filled cup in the sink and heading down the hall to his room. He knew she had a doctors appointment at SHIELD, but it was supposed to be a routine evaluation. "Thanks for the update, Jarv. Good night."

He quietly pushed opened the bedroom door, pausing as Natasha sat up quickly, pointing her gun at him. "Just me, Nat," he called softly, shutting the door behind him.

"Clint," she sighed, slipping the safety back on her gun before tucking it under the pillow. "You're an hour late."

"Don't blame me; I wasn't flying the plane this time," he said, dropping his bag in the corner before heading to the bed. Clint watched Natasha carefully, his brow furrowed in concern. She looked alright to him, no sign of illness or injury, but she wasn't alright. She didn't have that usual spark that made her Natasha. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning down to kiss Natasha.

"I don't think so," she said, putting her hand up to stop him. "You smell horrendous, Barton. You need to take a shower before you come anywhere near me."

"I don't even get a welcome back kiss, Romanoff?" he asked, kicking off his boots. "Makes a guy feel like he's not wanted at home," he said teasingly. He got to his feet, grabbing a towel and some clothes before walking into the bathroom.

Natasha took a deep breath as the bathroom door shut, dropping back against the pillows. She was the deadly Black Widow; although she was panicking internally, on the surface she kept her calm façade. After wracking her brain all day, she still couldn't think of a way to tell Clint she was pregnant. She never thought this would happen to them, neither of them thought it would happen. It didn't seem like it was physically possible for her to even have a child so they never discussed the idea of them having kids. Why think about a future you couldn't have. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, hoping she could come up with some battle plan before Clint got out of the shower.

"How's everything been since I've been gone?" he asked as he walked out of the bathroom showered and changed for bed. "Did I miss anything?" He hoped she would just come right out and say what was bothering her instead of having him weasel the information from her.

"Nothing much really. Tony and Bruce blew up the lab again; Pepper nearly tore their heads off for that one. Thor broke another iPad; this one lasted a month and a half so I guess that's progress. And Asgeir and Alex managed to get into the cupboards above the counters in search of junk food," she rattled off, sitting up and running her hands through her hair.

"You'd think Tony's kid would be the mastermind of all these little antics, but no, it's Thor's son," he laughed, sitting next to her on the bed. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, waiting to see if she would say anything else. "I miss anything else?"

"I had my physical and blood work done a few days ago," she said calmly, pulling herself out of his touch and scooting away from him. She took a deep breath as she tried to steel herself for what she was about to do.

"Everything okay?" he asked worriedly as she moved away from him. He knew that look on her face; it was the Black Widow mask and it was rarely followed by good news.

"No," she said quietly, shaking her head. "Not at all."

"What's wrong, Tasha?" he asked, his stomach twisting with fear. "What's going on?"

Natasha got to her feet, walking away from him. As she turned to face the wall length windows, she spoke quietly. "I'm pregnant."

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*dramatic music* review please!


	3. Do you want to have the baby?

Sorry if these first few chapters seem a little slow; Clint and Natasha are being a bit of a pain for me to write at the moment but I shall continue onward! The action will start to pick up after they get through their initial shock and what not so bear with me.

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Clint's eyes widened at her words, feeling as if the floor was pulled out from under him. "P-pregnant?" he asked incredulously. He couldn't tell if he was more relieved or in shock. He was afraid Natasha would tell him something was seriously wrong with her, that she was sick, that she was dying, something that would shake his world. But that she was pregnant…he never thought he'd hear those words come from her. Not ever. "But how can you be pregnant? You can't get pregnant. After all these years, I thought-we thought-and didn't SHIELD say….pregnant?" It certainly did explain the feeling he had earlier about missing something big; your wife being pregnant is pretty huge.

"Yes, Barton, pregnant," Natasha said, annoyance working its way into her voice. It was better than the trembling fear filling her stomach. She needed him to get past his state of shock so they could figure out what they were going to do. This pregnancy threw her for a tailspin and she was _not_ enjoying it. "I'm pregnant with your child." Natasha's stomach felt sick as the words left her lips, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Her body, the body that had been used to kill people, was carrying something as innocent as a child. She was going to taint the little life before it even existed.

"Holy shit," Clint murmured, lying back on the bed as he tried to wrap his mind around the words. She was pregnant. She was pregnant with his child. "You're pregnant."

"Can you say something useful!" she shouted, her perfect control over her emotions slipping a bit. She wished she had something in her hand to throw at him, to knock some kind of sense into him. "Yes, I am pregnant. You know it, I know it, now say something that's useful!"

Clint sat up quickly and walked over to Natasha's side as he heard the faint hysterical edge to her voice. If he thought this information was throwing him for a loop, he had no idea what it might be doing to her. To be told all your life you couldn't have a child and then suddenly find yourself pregnant? That had to be one hell of a mental rollercoaster. "Nat," he said softly, reaching out for her.

"Don't touch me," she said coldly, stepping away from him. "Don't touch me right now if you don't want your hand broken."

"Nat," he said again, resisting the urge to reach for her again. He could see the panic and fear in her eyes; if he reached for her again, he'd probably end up with a broken wrist.

"What are we going to do?" she asked quietly.

"Do you want this baby, Tasha?" he asked suddenly, wanting to smack himself for not thinking about her. Did she even want to have the baby? They never really talked about kids, not even about adopting one. What if she didn't want it?

"What?" she asked, surprised by his question.

"Do you want to have this baby?" he asked again, using her momentary shock to take a step toward her.

"You've always wanted the American dream, the house with the white picket fence and the yard with kids; it's what you've always-"

"To hell with what I want, Nat," he interrupted her. "I don't care what I want; I care about what you want. Do you want to have this baby?"

Natasha remained silent, her thoughts swirling around her head. She never stopped to think about whether or not _she_ wanted to have the baby; all she could focus on was how to tell Clint she was pregnant in the first place and trying to figure out where to go from there.

"Because if you don't want to have this baby, then we won't have it, simple as that," he said, keeping his voice steady despite the ache in his chest the thought caused. Natasha was right; he always did want a family, a family with her, but he would never force that on her if it wasn't what she wanted to. "You've had too many choices made for you in your life; this one is yours to make, Nat. Do you want to have this baby?"

"I won't make a good mother," she said worriedly. "I'm not meant to be a mother. I don't know how to nuture or take care of a child like Jane and Pepper do. I can't-"

"Bullshit," Clint said, shaking his head. "I've seen you with Asgeir and Alex. I've seen how much you love those two, how much time you spend taking care of them and making sure they're okay and just being with them. And they're only your nephews; you'd smother a kid of your own with all of your love."

"I'd taint them," she replied. "If I have this child I'll taint them. I have too much blood on my hands, Clint; I don't want to taint them. I don't…I don't know how to be a mother and protect them from the blood."

"You won't do it alone; I'll be here with you. It'll be my kids too." Clint took another step forward, taking her face in his hands. "Do you want to have this baby, Nat?" he asked quietly.

Natasha remained silent for a moment, trying to sort out her thoughts. Despite all of the reasons she could throw out about why she shouldn't have the baby, about how she would screw them up and ruin them, she really did want the child. She loved her nephews dearly, but she wanted a child of her own. She wanted to look at a baby and see hers and Clint's features blended perfectly. She wanted to do something right and keep it pure. "Yes. I want to have the baby," she said firmly.

A smile stretched across Clint's face as he leaned in and kissed her. "We're gonna have a kid, Nat," he whispered happily.

"God, we're gonna have a baby in this nut house," she said softly, shaking her head as her stomach quivered in fear and excitement. "Crap, we're gonna have to tell Fury about this."

The smile quickly slid from Clint's face. "He's gonna murder us, isn't he?"

"Most likely. Especially when his two best agents decide to go on maternity leave. Have fun telling him, Barton," Natasha said, smirking as she walked back to the bed. "I'm not gonna do it."

"Oh come on, Nat," Clint whined.

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Reviews please!


	4. Fury knows

Fury pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezed shut in frustration. _'SHIELD does not pay me enough,'_ he thought, annoyed. He was fine commanding the rest of his SHIELD agents, orchestrating missions and gathering intel. That always went well…for the most part. There was the occasional mishap that they have to shell out money for to cover it up, but overall the regular agents were fine.

But the Avengers….they were always a thorn in his side. Dr. Banner usually didn't give any problems besides the buildings and other miscellaneous objects the Hulk tended to destroy during battle, but there was always damage when the Avengers went into a mission. Thor wasn't too much trouble either; just the differences between Earth and Asgard made communication and explaining technology a bit time-consuming and sometimes near impossible. Overall he was a good guy just trying to protect the planet. Steve was almost never a problem. He was a soldier who followed orders and argued against them when he thought they were wrong. He was smart, he was level-headed, he was what the Avengers desperately needed. He was there to balance out the biggest thorn in Fury's side: Tony Stark. Tony gave him a headache on a near daily basis with his constant hacking into the SHIELD database, going against orders on missions and just being an overall pain.

That left him with the pair sitting across the desk from him, SHIELD's two best agents, Romanoff and Barton. He knew SHIELD wouldn't be as efficient and feared if it wasn't for the work these two put in. They could be stubborn and disobey orders occasionally, but overall they were good agents who always got the job done in one way or another. He really couldn't ask for more. What he _could _have asked, that he didn't think about asking because he thought they were smarter than that, was for them not to get pregnant. What in gods name was he going to do with a pregnant agent and her trigger-happy husband?

"It wasn't bad enough that you two went and got married in Budapest, thinking you could hide it from me," Fury started.

"Honestly didn't think you'd take that long to find out; it was over a year," Clint said, shutting up as Natasha elbowed him in the ribs.

"Thin ice, Barton, thin ice," Fury said seriously. "The only reason you managed to skate under the radar that long is because of Coulson. There's a reason we call him one of our best. But I let that one go. You two were married, there was no changing that, and as long as it didn't affect your work in the field, it didn't matter, not to me. The Board didn't need to know about it either. But I thought you two were at least smart enough to know not to get pregnant."

"We never thought we could get pregnant in the first place," Natasha interrupted. "We thought I couldn't-"

Fury held up his hand, stopping her words. "I know what you thought Agent Romanoff; I have access to your medical files too." Fury sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly as he tried to figure what to do. "So now where does that leave us? Do we continue on as if nothing's happened? Do we yank Romanoff from the field for the duration of her pregnancy and let her continue working once she has the baby? Does SHIELD get rid of its two best agents, turning them loose on the world, and forcing them to become a normal civilian family? What do we do, agents?"

Clint looked at Natasha before speaking, not wanting to be elbowed again. Sitting in Fury's office felt like being called down to the principal's office for blowing up the chem. lab; he did have his partner in crime next to him. They had discussed at length on their way to the base what they wanted to do in terms of her work at SHIELD, wanting what would be best for her and the baby. It took a while but they managed to reach a compromise of sorts. "Actually, sir, Natasha and I have an idea about what to do," Clint said cautiously.

"We were thinking that I could continue with my missions until I'm nearing my fourth month," she chimed in. "After that point I could continue working from SHIELD, gathering intel, tracking people. A desk job of sorts." Natasha absolutely hated the idea of a desk job, but she was out of options at the moment. She knew Clint would never agree to her being out in the field when she was heavily pregnant, but she couldn't stand the idea of sitting at home in the Tower while he was out on missions; at least with a desk job she could keep track of him and be of some help. By her fourth month she would be subtly showing that she was pregnant, making her an easy target. This was the best solution available. "After I have my baby, I'll take a little time to recuperate and then I'll be back in the field."

Fury nodded his head; it was a good plan all things considered. Besides he was running out of viable options. "How far along are you, Agent Romanoff?" he asked.

"The doctors say I'm around my ninth week," she replied, unable to hide the small smile on her lips.

"Do the other Avengers know?"

"No and we don't want them too, not yet anyway," Clint answered. "It'll just been too much to deal with in the field. They'll become overly protective, she won't be able to do her job properly, it'll be potentially dangerous." Not that he wasn't gonna be over protective of her regardless. She was his wife and now she was his pregnant wife; he was going to be on her like a shadow.

"Alright agents, we'll go with this plan for now," Fury said. "But any sign of medical distress from Agent Romanoff and she's getting pulled from the field until she gives birth. Understood?"

"Yes sir," they said simultaneously.

"You're dismissed," he said, reaching for the stack of folders on his desk. "And agents," he called as they opened the door, turning back to look at him. "Congratulations."

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How long will Clint and Natasha be able to keep this a secret? What if something happens in the field? When will the Avengers find out? Reviews please!


	5. Keeping secrets: 11 weeks

Clint rubbed Natasha's back soothingly as she was threw up, his other hand holding back the strands of her short red hair. If he thought his wife was lucky enough to avoid the wrath of morning sickness, he thought wrong. Although she wasn't as bad as Pepper was, she could barely stomach food for her first three months or so, he still hated to see her sick, even if it only happened once a week.

As the lid closed and the toilet flushed, he pressed a kiss to her shoulder, listening to her ragged breathing. "How long do you think we're gonna be able to keep this from them?" he wondered aloud.

Natasha rested her forehead against her arm, her eyes closed as she tried to catch her breath._ 'How indeed,' _she thought. It seemed so much easier to hide her pregnancy when she didn't know she was pregnant. Now that she knew, it seemed to be that much harder. She and Clint couldn't help the subtle changes in their behavior, probably not noticeable to anyone but themselves. Once they knew there was a child growing in her stomach, she couldn't help the way she angled her body to keep her stomach out of reach when she play wrestled with Asgeir and Alex. Or the way Clint's hand would skim her stomach when no one paid attention.

She was only in her eleventh week; how in gods name were they going to manage to keep it a secret for the next five weeks? Taking a deep breath, she sat up, her lower back stiff from remaining in the same position too long. "We managed to hide that we were married for quite a while," she joked, pushing herself to her feet. She walked over to the sink slowly, grabbing her toothbrush.

Clint chuckled, leaning against the wall. "That's a good point actually," he replied. "We hid it from them for what? Almost two years right? Even Tony couldn't figure out if we were together or not."

"That's the wonder of having a wedding without any legal papers," Natasha replied, rinsing out her mouth. "Besides having Coulson on your side is always a good thing. I doubt SHIELD has any record of us being married."

"I doubt anyone has any record of us being married," Clint added, walking back into their bedroom and laying down. It was just after seven in the morning, the sun brightening the sky through the huge windows.

"That's not true," Natasha replied, walking out of the bathroom. She went over to her dresser, taking out clothes to change into. "We've got one record of it." She nodded toward to picture resting on top of the dresser, the only picture they had of their wedding day. It was the picture of their first kiss that Coulson had snapped on his phone, framing it and presenting it to them as a late wedding gift.

"That's true; without him we wouldn't have any pictures from that day. Just the memory of Budapest-"

"And your sudden proposal-"

"The church with the extra veil-"

"You bribing a priest in the dead of night-"

"Coulson walking you down the aisle-"

"God, it sounds like a story someone made up," she said, laughing slightly as she pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. She ran her fingertips over her stomach, still flat for the most part. Her uniform was unforgiving; soon she would be showing in that even if not in her other clothes.

"It's no wonder Tony was always pestering us about Budapest," Clint laughed, getting up from bed. "Come on, let's go grab some breakfast."

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Later that day...

Tony watched Natasha intently as she sat on the couch playing with Asgeir and Alex. Something was…different. He couldn't quite place his finger on it but something was different and it was driving him insane that he couldn't figure it out. She looked the same, she was acting the same, her playing with the kids was absolutely normal, but something was different. "Hey Pepper," he said quietly, trying to gain his wife's attention as she typed away on her laptop.

"Yes Tony?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Do you notice anything different with Natasha?" he whispered.

Pepper frowned slightly, looking over to where her friend sat playing with her son and nephew. "No, not really," she answered. "Her skin looks really nice though."

"Aw come on Pep," Tony groaned. "You have to see it. Something's different about her."

"What's different about her, Tony?"

"I don't know," he replied, frustrated. "I just know something _is_ different, but I don't know what it is so I thought you might, you know woman's intution or sisterhood of traveling pants or something."

"I just think you're crazy," Pepper replied, rolling her eyes at Tony as she kissed his cheek. "But I'll keep you anyway."

Alex laughed as he tottered away from Natasha and Asgeir, climbing onto Tony's lap. "Momma called daddy crazy," he laughed quietly, standing on Tony's lap so he could pat his cheek with his little hand. "Daddy's silly."

"Well your mother's not wrong," Natasha said to him, lifting Asgeir onto her lap. "Tony is a little crazy."

"Can't believe you called your old man crazy," Tony said to Alex, pouting slightly as he wrapped his arms around his son, kissing his head. "Your dad can't be crazy; he's eccentric. Only normal people are crazy."

"Of course Tony's crazy," Steve said as he walked into the living room. "We've known that for years. But why are we discussing it now?"

"Tony thinks there's something different about me," Natasha explained.

"How did you-"

"You wouldn't think a super assassin would stop listening to conversations just because she's with her nephews, now would you?" she asked, interrupting Tony.

"Different?" Steve said, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked at Natasha carefully. "I don't know what would be different about you. I mean your hair looks a little longer, but you look the same to me."

"It's all probably in Tony's mind," she replied nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders. "He always thinks I'm up to something. Comes from my time as his assistant." Natasha grabbed a book off the coffee table and began reading it, effectively cutting off the discussion. Last thing she wanted was for them to continue the discussion and figure it out.

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Will Tony figure out that Natasha's pregnant or will they be able to keep the secret? Reviews please


	6. Comments and blows :13 weeks

_'No, it couldn't be,'_ Tony thought as he watched Natasha from across the airplane, his eyes roaming her body. He had read her medical file, read everyone's medical file so he knew it was impossible. But what did that leave? Laziness or illness, neither of which seemed likely for her, but what else could it be? "Do my eyes deceive me or does our dear Widow look a little rounder in her cat suit?" Tony said causally as they neared their mission site. Bruce quickly clamped his hand over Tony's mouth, but the damage was already done. The Avengers could feel the temperature of the plane drop as Natasha's head turned, fixing Tony with her icy glare.

_'I'm going to murder him.' _Natasha was ready to pull open the emergency exit and watch Tony get sucked out without his Ironman suit. Who said things like that? Of course it would be Tony Stark; the man had the manners of a wild boar. Natasha could tell that her stomach was getting a tiny bit pudgier because of her pregnancy and her skin tight suit made that tiny bit look huge, but did Tony really need to point it out to everyone? Even if she wasn't trying to hide a pregnancy, it was just plain rude to do. If anyone spilled the beans about her pregnancy, it would be him.

"Did you seriously just say that, Stark?" Steve said irritably. Steve knew a lot of things had changed during the decades he was frozen, but he was positive that making comments on a person's body was still considered disrespectful. "You really thought that was something that you should say out loud? That's got to be the rudest, most impolite thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth and I've heard you say some pretty nasty things."

"Verily the Captain is right," Thor agreed, frowning in disapproval at Tony. "One never comments on the figure of a woman if he wishes to live a long life. Lady Natasha is looking as lovely as ever and it was quite wrong of you to suggest otherwise."

Tony pulled Bruce's hand from his mouth, rolling his eyes. "I wasn't trying to insult her, I was simply pointing out that-"

"Please quit while you're ahead," Bruce interrupted. "Or I guess while you still have your head would be a better way to put it."

"Stark, you comment on my wife's body again and I'll put an arrow through your eye socket," Clint said tensely, his threat backed up by the disapproving looks of the other Avengers.

"And Pepper would be okay with him doing it," Bruce warned. "Just shut up Tony so you can be around to see Alex grow up."

Tony huffed, crossing his arms. "Fine, I'll drop it. Sorry."

* * *

"What is it with robots lately?" Steve wondered as he tried to lure the machines out into the open while avoiding their bullets. "It seems like we're constantly fighting robots."

"Rodgers does have a point," Clint replied, firing off another explosive arrow into a group of robots. "This is the third time we've had to fight a band of robots; the bad guys are getting lazy on us. There's nothing new for us to fight, no surprises."

"Please tell me you are not complaining, Barton," Tony groaned. "The last thing we want is for the bad guys to decide they want to get creative on us. Then we'll really have some problems. More creativity means smarter bad guys, which means better weapons. We do_ not_ want the bad guys to be suddenly motivated."

"Verily I understand the Hawk's desire for a more difficult opponent," Thor answered. "Tis wearisome to battle the same creatures again and again. There is no challenge in the battle. No great songs are sung of the easy battles fought; they are sung about the difficult battles in which life and death hang in the balance. One must fight impossible opponents to be remembered in the ever flowing tide of history."

"I'm with Stark on this one," Natasha said from her seat on top of a robot's shoulders, pulling the wires out of the back before moving on to another one.

"Whoa, that's a first," Tony answered.

"Don't let it go to your head, Stark; you're still on thin ice with me," she warned. "Being remember through all of time is fine and dandy, but I'd prefer for them all to be completely lazy and use the same machines we defeat over and over again," she replied. "Less injures that way. The shifting sand here is more helpful than the concrete last time we fought them."

"Eh, I guess you're right," Clint replied. "It's not like me and Natasha will really be remembered anyway; we're secret agents. They'll remember Hawkeye and the Black Widow."

"The cutest ninja assassin couple ever," Tony teased.

"Thin. Ice." Clint replied. "Pepper would be okay with her killing you, just remember that."

"Guys, can we focus?" Steve said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly. "We're in the middle of a battle in case you hadn't noticed."

"Oh don't get your star-spangled boxers in a knot, Capsicle," Tony answered. "We're basically done with all the robots anyway; what's a little bit of friendly banter? It's good for team building or something."

As the last of the robots were being destroyed, Natasha backflipped off the robot's shoulders, glad the mission was almost over. She was caught off guard as the robot turned, its fist colliding with her stomach mid-flip, sending her sprawling across the sand. Natasha cried out in pain as she landed, panic coursing through her veins as she curled around her stomach. _'The baby,'_ she thought fearfully.

"Nat!" Clint shouted, quickly repelling down the side of the building and running over to her. "We need a med evac for Black Widow now," he said into his earpiece. "Just lay still, okay Nat? They're on their way."

"Is she alright? How badly hurt is she?" Steve asked worriedly, the team rushing over to the couple.

Natasha looked up at Clint, her green eyes shining with fear and worry. "Clint…the baby," she whispered.

"Will be fine," he said firmly, kissing her hard. "You'll both be fine; the doctors are on their way." He rested the urge to place his hand on her stomach, worried he would hurt her even more but desperately wanting to be closer to their child, the need to protect him or her overwhelming.

"Did he just say both?" Tony said in surprise.

"Yeah, yeah he did," Bruce said, pulling on the pants Tony handed to him. "Both."

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*dramatic music* The Avengers now know about the baby, how will they react? Are Natasha and the baby gonna be okay? Reviews please


	7. Doctor's orders

I'm gonna try to update this story every other day for you guys. Let me know what you guys think about this chapter; I was iffy about it

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"She's pregnant!" Steve shouted, running his hand through his hair. "She's pregnant and neither of you thought it was important to let us know this! We would have never let her go out there if we had known she was pregnant."

Clint looked up from his seat against the wall, his grey eyes cold as ice. "Which is exactly why she didn't want you to know. Have you forgotten who Natasha is?" he said coldly. "How do you think she would have taken being left behind?"

After Clint and Natasha were airlifted to the nearest SHIELD base, the Avengers hurriedly cleaned up the mess left over by the robots before following after them. They found Clint sitting in the wall of the medical wing, his back against the wall as he stared against the closed room door, waiting for news about Natasha.

_ 'God how did we end up in this situation?' _Clint wondered, leaning his head back against the wall. Clint was terrified of Natasha losing the baby, unsure if either of them would be able to handle that. They both knew this was probably their only chance to have a child of their own; it was all or nothing.

"Steve, you've gotta calm down," Bruce said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We didn't know and now we do; there's nothing we can do about it. What's done is done."

"Maybe we could have avoided this," Steve answered sadly, leaning against the wall.

"I knew something was going on," Tony muttered. "I knew it I knew it I knew it. And I thought she was pregnant but I thought she couldn't have kids; that's what her medical file said."

"That's what we thought too," Clint answered, closing his eyes. "I thought that, she thought that, all the SHIELD doctors thought that. And then suddenly we found out she was pregnant when she went in for her medical evaluation. We're having a kid."

"Lady Natasha and the babe shall be well," Thor said confidently, taking a seat next to Clint. He couldn't deny the fear he felt for Natasha after he found out she was pregnant; sustaining such a blow could not be good for either of them. Still he had faith in Natasha. "Lady Natasha is a warrior worthy of the halls of Asgard and your babe shall be born of the blood of two warriors. Both shall be well."

"Yeah, they'll be fine," Clint sighed. He jumped to his feet as the door opened a crack, a black haired head popping out and looking around.

"Agent Barton?" she asked as her eyes landed on him. "I'm Doctor Sciuto, just call me Abby. Agent Romanoff is calling for you."

Clint took a deep breath before following the doctor, feeling the worried eyes of his teammates on his back. "Nat," he called softly, rushing over to her side as he saw her. His heart began to pound as he took in her pale face and tired expression. "Why are you so pale?" he asked worriedly, taking her hand in his. "Are you okay? Is the baby okay?" he asked, looking back and forth between Natasha and Abby.

"I'm okay," Natasha replied. That was a bit of an overstatement. She was tired as hell, stressed to breaking point and felt sick with worry. Okay didn't really match how she felt, but telling Clint all of that wasn't an option at the moment. And now she had to listen to Abby list all the things that were wrong _again._ Great. "We're okay. I'm just exhausted."

"For the most part Agent Romanoff and the baby are okay," Abby answered. "But you know it definitely could be a lot better."

"What's going on? What's wrong with them?" he asked.

"Well starting with the minor injuries, Agent Romanoff has a few scratches and scrapes that I presume she got from the mission that you were all on. She's got a massive, and I mean massive like size of Texas, black and blue bruise across her stomach. She said she got that from getting hit by a robot," Abby said, shaking her head at how insane that sentence sounded. "Those will heal normally, but that leads us to the potential problems with the baby."

"Which are?" Clint prompted.

"Okay, so you see the thing is Agent Romanoff has sustained a lot of abdominal injuries over the years. I'm talking kicks, punches, bullet wounds, stabbings, electrical shocks, seriously it's a wonder she's even alive, let alone alive and pregnant. She's like her very own medical mystery; I still can't figure out how she got pregnant after all these years and all that abuse. It should be physically impossible," Abby ranted.

"Abby, can we stay on track please?" Clint asked, interrupting her. Last thing he wanted was for her to list all the injuries Natasha had gotten over the years; he was present for quite a few of them.

"Right, sorry," she apologized. "So the thing is the baby, your baby is already in a rocky situation. It's trying to survive and grow in an environment that's dealt with some serious abuse, which isn't good. On top of the robot punch she got today, your baby is in a dangerous situation. The baby is at risk right now; at this point, I couldn't tell you whether or not this child is gonna survive long enough for her to give birth."

Natasha squeezed Clint's hand at her words, her hands trembling slightly in panic. She was finally pregnant and her body might not be able to take care of their baby; what a great mother she was shaping up to be.

"That doesn't necessarily mean she's gonna lose the baby," Abby hastily added as she noticed their worried expressions. "Just means this isn't going to be the easiest pregnancy ever. She's officially on maternity leave from SHIELD. She's not allowed to spar or anything like that. She's going to have to act like a normal person; for the next few months. She and the baby can both be okay; you've just got to fight for it," she concluded, leaving them alone for some privacy.

"I don't think I've ever done that for a mission," Natasha commented. "Done a lot of things, but never been normal. How are we gonna pull this off?"

"It'll be like when we talk about leaving SHIELD and starting over together," Clint replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "If anyone can do it, it'd be you and me."

"Normal," Natasha said, snorting. "Never thought I'd see the day."

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Reviews please!


	8. So much for secrets: 15 weeks

"I still can't believe you kept the pregnancy from us," Pepper said to Natasha, frowning slightly as she looked up from her laptop. "I mean come on Natasha, thirteen weeks?"

Natasha, Pepper and Jane sat around the living room with Asgeir and Alex occasionally running into the room, doing a few laps and running back out. "Asgeir, Alex, be careful," Jane called after them. "No going into the lab."

_'They're like the stupid little pink rabbit from the battery commercials,' _Natasha thought, watching as they ran back out of the room. "Should we be worried about what they're up to?" Natasha asked, watching the mischievous pair ran out of the room. She didn't know if she was excited or terrified to add a child of her own to the bunch.

"Oh probably," Jane said, smiling. "You should have seen what Asgeir was getting into last time we went to Asgard. He's gonna make one hell of a king some day, the little mischief maker."

"Probably takes after his uncle," Natasha muttered. Even though it had been years since Loki's attempted invasion of New York, the Avengers, exception of Thor, weren't so quick to forgive him. Natasha didn't think she would ever forgive him for controlling Clint and turning the one person she trusted more than anything against her, trying to use all the secrets she told him against her. That type of anger didn't go away so quickly if at all.

"You're deflecting," Pepper commented, typing on her laptop for a few moments before closing it and focusing her attention on Natasha. "We're still on you for not telling us you were pregnant."

"In my defense I didn't know I was pregnant until I was about seven weeks along," Natasha answered. "So I really only hid it from you for about six weeks."

"Six weeks is still a long time," Jane replied. "You could have told us then. You told Fury and Coulson before us."

"Well I had to tell Fury; he would have had my head on a platter if he found out after I went on missions," Natasha explained. "And Coulson's….he's family."

"How'd he take it?" Jane wondered.

"Surprisingly well," she laughed. "I think he expected this to happen to me and Clint at some point in time."

* * *

_Flashback _

"You're pregnant," Phil said slowly, looking at the two agents sitting in front of him. _'Never a dull moment with this job.' _He sighed, shaking his head at them.

Phil wished he could say he was surprised by all of this but he wasn't. He knew something like this would have happened at some point in time for them; Natasha and Clint were inseparable from the day Clint brought her back to SHIELD. There were very few things that Phil believed in, but Clint and Natasha being made for each other was definitely one of them. He had never seen two people fit together so perfectly. He knew it was only a matter of time before the two of them became the three or four of them, but he didn't think it would happen for another five or six years. And he definitely didn't think it would happen because Natasha was pregnant. As their handler, Phil knew their medical files inside out. He just thought after a few years, they would decide to adopt a child of their own and either take a less dangerous job at SHIELD or leave altogether.

But no, here they were sitting in front of him, his two best agents who were also his two favorite agents, expecting their first child together. It felt like only yesterday he was walking Natasha down the aisle of a nearly empty church in Budapest. Good god he was getting old.

"Aw come on, Phil, you can't say you never expected this to happen," Clint laughed. "You had to have seen this coming."

"Maybe in another five years involving the adoption of a little Russian baby with you two choosing to leave SHIELD," he answered. "But definitely didn't see it coming now."

"Well if it makes you feel better, no one else saw it coming either, ourselves included," Natasha said, a small smile on her face. "SHIELD agents are just full of surprises, aren't we?"

"No, it's just you two," Phil retorted, rolling his eyes. "You two have been full of surprises since Clint disobeyed orders and brought you back to base, Natasha."

"But aren't you glad I did," Clint answered cheekily. "Nat's an awesome agent; would have been a pity if SHIELD killed her."

"Exactly. You wouldn't have anyone to save Clint's ass all the time. He would have died years ago," Natasha added, smirking slightly.

"Okay okay, settle down children," Phil said, rolling his eyes. "Have you told Fury yet?"

"Not yet," Natasha answered. "We're gonna go see him after we finish up with you. Unless you'd like to talk to him for us."

"I dealt with hiding your marriage from him for a year," Phil replied. "You guys are pregnant; you two can tell him about it. I'm gonna stay out of this one."

"I thought you might say that," Clint sighed. "Can we ask you one thing?"

"What do you need, Barton?"

"Be our kid's godfather?" he asked, smiling at Phil as he took Natasha's hand in his. "There's no person we'd trust more to look after our kid if something happened to us."

"Don't talk like that," he scolded, frowning slightly.

"He's right, Phil; we've got to be serious about this," Natasha said. "We don't exactly live low risk lives; there's always the possibility that something's gonna happen to us. You managed to handle the two of us; handling our demon spawn should be a cake walk. So would you be our child's godfather?"

Phil smiled at the pair, nodding. "I'd love to be the godfather," he replied. "I've had years of practice with you two."

* * *

"Phil's fully prepared for this," Natasha said, smiling slightly. "Probably more prepared than Clint and I are right now. Maybe I'll get some tips from him.

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Reviews please!


	9. Little conversations: 18 weeks

Special thanks to Inubaka88 for the information about air pistols! You rock! Also Coulson never dies in my stories. I refuse to accept the fact that he's dead. Coulson lives, Fury lies. End of Story. Also also I love all of my readers who got the NCIS reference a few chapters back; I love NCIS and I love that you guys love it too.

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Natasha fired off another round from the air pistol, smiling as it completed the perfect circle in the center of the target. The air pistol didn't have the same feeling as her usual gun, but it was safer for the baby's developing hearing so she would make the sacrifice.

She glanced at the clock as she put down the air pistol, frowning slightly. It was just after one in the morning and Clint still wasn't home from his mission. It was the first mission he had gone on since she had been put on maternity leave; the thought of someone else watching her husband's back made her palms sweat in worry. She knew he wouldn't put himself in danger, but she didn't know if she could trust whomever he was partnered with. As much as she loved her child, she missed being in the field with Clint.

Natasha placed her hand on her rounding stomach as she walked over to the elevator. "If your father's not back in time for the doctor's appointment, I'm going to murder him myself," she muttered to the baby as she stepped into the elevator. The faint fluttering she felt in her stomach made her heart jump in response, a faint smile spreading across her lips. She still hadn't felt the baby kick yet, one of her worries she would have to bring up with the doctor, but she constantly felt a fluttering sensation, as if her stomach was filled with butterflies. It made the baby seem more real to her, more than just a dream in everyone's mind.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking myself to the doctor alone," she continued talking to the baby as she stepped out of the elevator. "You know your mother. But your father promised to come along with me. We're supposed to find out if you're a boy or a girl. We're supposed to see you. If he's not on time, he's sleeping on the floor."

"Natasha?" Tony called, poking his head out from the kitchen. He could hear her talking quietly, her words barely distinguishable, but he wasn't sure who she was speaking to.

Natasha spun around quickly as she heard Tony's voice, internally cursing herself for not realizing he was there; her senses were slipping. "Yeah, it's just me," she answered easily.

"Who are you talkin' to?" he asked, walking out of the kitchen, a glass of water in hand. "I heard you talking a few seconds ago, but no one's…you were talking to the baby, weren't you?" he said, a smile stretching across his face. Natasha opened her mouth to reply before closing her mouth; she still wasn't the best at interacting on a personal level. "It's cool," Tony added as he noticed her discomfort, shrugging his shoulders. "I used to do it all the time when Pepper was pregnant. I'd talk to Alex late at night when I couldn't sleep. He didn't seem real to me, ya know? Talking to him helped and Pepper said he liked my voice. Anyway I'm gonna head back to bed. Night, spider lady," he said, heading down the hallway back to his and Pepper's room.

Natasha watched Tony walk away before shaking her head and heading toward her room. After all this time, Tony still managed to surprise her.

* * *

Clint slowly opened his bedroom door, trying to be as quiet as possible. He finally got home two hours later than he promised Natasha; he knew the odds of having a gun pointed at his head as he walked in were pretty good. He sighed in relief when he found her fast asleep, laying on her back to help with the constant heartburn the baby gave her._ 'Not even born and the kid's a handful already,' _he thought, dropping his bag in the corner of the room and changing out of his uniform.

He climbed onto the bed gently, trying not to shake the bed and wake his sleeping wife; he'd end up sleeping on the couch. "Hey baby," he whispered, placing his hand on her rounded stomach, the baby bump prominent through her tank top. He scooted down the bed until his face was level with her stomach, kissing the side of it softly. "Your mom's gonna murder me in the morning when she realizes how late I got home, so I might as well talk to you now while I still have the chance," he said quietly.

Clint slowly rubbed his hand across her stomach, the gentle shoosh of the fabric filling the silence of the room. "It's not my fault that I'm late though; it's SHIELD's fault. Like always. So you've gotta plead my case with your mom; tell her you don't wanna grow up without a dad so that way she won't kill me. She's still gonna injure me pretty badly, being pregnant hasn't slowed her down, but she won't kill me. Can you do that, squirt? I wanna be alive for the appointment tomorrow so we can find out what you are." Clint smiled as he remembered the debates the Avengers had over whether the baby would be a boy or a girl; the house seemed pretty evenly divided.

"How come you aren't kicking around in there yet, squirt?" he asked, his voice filled with worry. He knew from Jane and Pepper's pregnancy that babies were usually kicking or squirming by now; the most Natasha had felt was fluttering in her stomach. It was enough to keep him from fully panicking, but he was still worried; Abby had said the pregnancy would be difficult. "Just do me and your mom a favor and give her a swift kick to the ribs or her bladder or something, okay? You're the child of two trained assassins; you've got to have some of the moves down." He leaned his forehead against Natasha's stomach, praying to whoever might be out there that his child was okay. "I'm gonna get some shut eye, squirt. I'll see you in a few hours. I love you."

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Reviews please! What do you think Clint and Natasha are having?


	10. Kicks and greetings: 20 weeks

You know I always as you guys what you think the couple of the story should have, but I always know what they're gonna have anyways lol. Like Nat and Clint. I knew what they were gonna have back when I was still writing Stork brings a Stark. Even picked out a name for the baby. But now it's time for you all to find out what they're having. Happy reading!

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"Nat, come on, don't be mad with me," Clint said as he sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on his sneakers. "I said I was sorry."

"And I answered you," she said curtly, not looking away from the mirror as she brushed her hair. She knew that she was being irrational, that her hormones were making her way angrier with Clint than she normally would have been, that there was no need to be so angry since he was home safe, but she was pissed off and cranky so he was going to have to deal with it. She missed the days of being the stoic Black Widow who never let anything get under her skin, but those days were long gone. _'Stupid godforsaken mood swings.' _

"I heard you; I really don't think you should use that type of language around the baby," he said, smirking. He narrowly avoided the hairbrush thrown at his face, dodging it at the last second. "Tasha-"

"Don't Tasha me, Barton," she interrupted him. "You said you were gonna be home and you weren't home. I was _worried_ over you, Clint. You told me before you left that you would be careful-"

"I was careful," Clint interjected.

"That you would come home safe-"

"I did come home safe; I didn't even get hurt."

"That you would be back in two days-"

"I did make it back in two days like I promised," he interrupted.

"And that you would call me if you were going to be late," she said coldly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, I kinda screwed up on that last part," he said sheepishly. "Three out of four isn't too bad though."

"You're absolutely impossible, Barton," Natasha said harshly. "I wasn't the one who asked you to call me; _you_ said you would call me. No one had to twist your arm over it; you made that choice. If this situation was reversed you would have been having kittens over me not calling you."

Clint sighed, walking over to Natasha. "Nat, I really am sorry," he said sincerely. "I didn't mean to worry you so much; I should have called."

"Yeah, whatever Barton," she replied, turning away from him.

Clint knelt down in front of her, his hands holding onto her hips as he leaned his forehead against her stomach. "Come on, squirt, help your dad out," he pleaded, kissing her stomach. "Tell her I'm sorry and not to be angry with me."

"Do not bring our child into it, Clint. It's your fault, not theirs that I'm pissed off with- ouch!" she exclaimed, her hand going to her side. "Jesus kid, there's no need to kick me that hard."

"Squirt must not like it when we fight," Clint replied, rubbing the side of Natasha's stomach. He took the kick against his hand as an affirmative answer. "Okay no more fighting before the baby breaks your ribs or something."

"That'd be my luck, get my ribs broken by my baby's kicking," she muttered before her eyes widened in surprise. "Clint…the baby kicked. That was the baby's first kick."

Clint laughed happily, kissing her stomach before getting up and hugging Natasha. "Didn't I tell you our kid would be fine, Nat? Squirt must have just over slept, that's why they were taking so long to move. First kick."

"One less worry for me to tell the doctor about," she replied, her anger forgotten as she rubbed her stomach. "Good job, Squirt."

"Finish getting dressed, we've got an appointment to get to," Clint said, smiling at her.

* * *

"And how are you feeling, Mrs. Barton?" the doctor asked as she smoothed the cool gel onto Natasha's stomach.

Natasha jumped slightly as the gel touched her bare skin, squeezing Clint's hand momentarily. "I've been pretty okay. Heartburn's been a pain; you'd think I'm giving birth to a dragon, not a human."

"It happens to most women," she said sympathetically. "What about movement? Have you been feeling the baby moving around much?"

"He or she finally kicked today," Clint answered proudly, a smile stretching across his face. "Right before we left the house."

"Up until then I was only getting this fluttering sensation," Natasha added.

"Oh that's a very good sign," the doctor said, flipping on the ultrasound machine and placing the sensor against Natasha's stomach. "The baby's movements will be picking up from now on. If you go more than twenty-four hours without feeling something, a kick, a flutter, anything, you come right in. You should feel the baby every day. Now let's see what we've got."

Natasha squeezed Clint's hand tightly as the doctor moved the sensor around, her stomach filled with nervous butterflies. She never thought she would be in this position, waiting to see her child, her and Clint's child on the ultrasound screen.

"Do you want to know the sex of your child?" the doctor asked, looking at the anxious face of Clint and Natasha.

"Yes," Clint answered quickly. "We have to know."

The doctor laughed at his eagerness, nodding her head. "Well there's your baby," she said, pointing to the screen.

Clint laughed happily, kissing Natasha's hand. _'Holy crap, that's my kid. That's _my_ kid,' _he thought, his heart swelling with joy.

"You can see the head is right there. And there are the two legs…that's a hand right there, opening and closing. I guess he or she is waving to you," the doctor said softly. "It looks like you two are going to be having…a baby girl. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Barton."

"A girl!" Clint exclaimed, his smile widening. "We're gonna have a daughter, Tasha."

Natasha was frozen in surprise, her eyes fixed on the ultrasound monitor. "Our little girl," she said quietly, a smile spreading across her face. "It's our little girl, Clint."

"Asgeir and Alex better watch out; our little one is gonna be a hurricane," he chuckled, kissing the side of Natasha's stomach. "Princess of the Tower."

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A little princess to terrorize the tower with her parent's ninja skills, how cute ^.^ Reviews please.


	11. Little boys: 22 weeks

I've got a lot of requests to see Asgeir and Alex so here they are ^.^ If you don't know who they are, Asgeir is Thor and Jane's son and Alex is Tony and Pepper's.

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"But Asgeir, Mommy said no cookies before we have dinner," Alex whispered as the pair quietly crept through the kitchen. He followed after Asgeir, their matching dark hair and blue eyes making them look like the cousins they considered themselves to be; the only difference was the shading of their eyes. "We're gonna get in trouble."

The pair of boys were up to their usual antics in the mansion, sneaking around behind the adults' backs. When they weren't trying to sneak snacks from the cupboards, they were trying to sneak into Tony's lab. When they weren't sneaking into the lab, they were riding the elevators and exploring the Tower. Alex was always the more cautious of the two, while Asgeir was bolder, always looking for the next thing for them to do. They always managed to find some new adventure in the Tower, always trying to outsmart the ever-present babysitter, Jarvis.

"We can only get in trouble if they see us so be quiet," Asgeir said, turning around to look at Alex. "Me and Auntie Sif do this all the time when I go visit Grandma and Grandpa. We just haves to be careful. Like Auntie Tasha and Uncle Clint." He grabbed the legs of a kitchen chair, pulling it over to the counter top with Alex's help.

"But how are we gonna get up there?" Alex wondered. Climbing from the top of the chair to the countertop would be the easy part; the trouble was getting on top of the chair.

"You're gonna climb on me and get up there," Asgeir replied easily. He pushed the chair against the counter before getting on all fours in front of it. "Get up there."

Alex gave Asgeir a skeptical look before following his orders, climbing onto his back and reaching up to the top of the chair. He gripped the back of his chair and used it to pull himself up, smiling down at Asgeir. "I'm okay," he said, climbing onto the counter.

"Be careful," Asgeir warned. While the boys were always up to something they probably shouldn't be doing, they always looked after each other; never doing anything that might be too dangerous. "Auntie Pepper keeps the cookies near the fridge."

"Okay," Alex answered, standing up on the counter and slowly making his way to the end.

Natasha stood in the doorway of the kitchen, her hands resting on her rounded stomach as she watched her nephew's mini mission. She was mildly impressed with them; they had gotten this far and managed to remain uninjured although they lost points for not noticing her standing right there. Still they showed potential for a pair of children.

"Got them!" Alex exclaimed, grabbing the box of cookies from the cupboard and sitting down on the counter. His hands froze as they entered the cookie box, his eyes widening as he saw Natasha watching them, an amused smile on her lips.

"Come on, Alex; get down," Asgeir said impatiently, looking up at his cousin.

"Auntie Tasha," Alex said quietly, pointing toward the doorway.

Asgeir wrinkled his nose before turning toward Natasha, knowing they were busted. "Hi Auntie Tasha," he said quietly.

"And what are you two doing?" she asked, walking into the kitchen. She took the box of cookies from Alex's hands, setting them on the counter before lifting him and settling him on the floor. The boys were getting too heavy for her to lift with her baby bump.

"We just wanted a cookie," Alex said, pouting slightly.

"So you two came up with this whole plan about how to get into the cupboard to get them?" Natasha guessed, leaning against the counter. The two boys nodded morosely, knowing they were in trouble. "That was pretty clever of you. And I think cleverness should be rewarded." She reached her hand into the box of cookies, handing each of them one before putting the box back.

"Thanks," Asgeir said, smiling up at her.

"But that doesn't mean I want to see either of you climbing on the countertops again, got it?" she said seriously. "If you guys fall off the edge you'll get hurt badly and your moms definitely won't be too happy with you guys. This is a one time thing." Natasha chuckled quietly as the baby kicked, rubbing the side of her stomach. "Your little cousin agrees with me."

"How do you know?" Alex asked, walking into the living room and climbing onto the couch, stray cookie crumbs stuck to his cheeks. Natasha and Asgeir followed him, Natasha getting sandwiched between them.

She sighed as she was able to sit down again, her swollen feet aching. _'What else are you gonna throw at me, Squirt?' _she wondered. "How do I know she agrees with me?" Natasha asked. "Because she kicked when I was speaking."

"Why is she kicking? Mommy said it's bad to kick people," Asgeir commented, looking intently at Natasha's stomach. "I seen Auntie Sif do it to Uncle Fandrall once."

"She's not kicking to hurt me; she's just trying to move around and stretching. It's a bit cramped in there," she explained.

"Auntie Tasha, why are you having a girl? Why not a boy?" Alex asked, carefully poking Natasha's stomach. "Momma and Daddy have a boy and Auntie Jane and Uncle Thor."

_'These kids are just full of questions,'_ Natasha thought, smoothing her hand over her stomach. _'Not really surprising considering who their parents are.' _"You can't choose if you're having a boy or a girl," Natasha answered. "It's just a surprise. Besides it might be nice to have another girl in the house; there are more than enough boys here."

"Uncle Tony always you and Uncle Clint would have a baby," Asgeir commented.

"Well Tony was bound to be right eventually," Natasha muttered.

"That's what Momma says," Alex laughed, falling to the side. Asgeir and Natasha joined his laughter, smiles spread across their faces._ 'Well at least my kid will be in good company,'_ Natasha thought, looking down at her nephews.

* * *

Reviews please!


	12. The Name Game: 26 weeks

Clint smirked victoriously at Tony as he managed to grab the last slice of barbeque chicken pizza from the box. Pepper had managed to wrangle up everyone for one of their infrequent family dinners, the whole group overflowing the couches scattered around the living room. Alex and Asgeir were nodding off on the couch, full stomachs combined with a movie putting them on the brink of sleep. Jane and Bruce were talking about a recent breakthrough she had in her research, Thor was regaling Steve with stories of some of the battles he fought, Tony was trying to persuade Pepper into a vacation in Barcelona.

And Clint was just happy to be sitting next to Natasha with a slice of pizza in hand. As he leaned back against the couch, he thanked whoever was out there listening that he got home from his mission in time to have dinner with his weird family. "How was work?" he asked Natasha, taking a bite of his pizza.

"Long. I have a whole new appreciation for what Coulson does at SHIELD," Natasha sighed, leaning forward to place her empty plate on the table. "The only reason I didn't take out my gun and shoot some of the new recruits is because the noise would hurt our daughter's hearing. Coulson said I'm going on maternity leave at the end of the week."

"Why?" Clint asked, confused. Natasha was still supposed to work for a few more weeks before she started maternity leave.

"Phil and Fury are worried about the stress on me; they don't think it's good for the baby, which they're probably right about. So I'm on maternity leave early. Finally using up all those vacation days I never got to use." She shifted around uncomfortably on the couch, trying to find a position that didn't make her back hurt. "Don't you start fidgeting just because you felt me moving around," she scolded her daughter lightly.

"Be good for your mom, squirt," Clint said, patting Natasha's stomach affectionately.

"Please tell me you're not gonna name your kid, squirt, Robin Hood," Tony said, looking over at the couple. "That child will be scarred for life."

"Have you guys thought about baby names yet?" Jane asked curiously. "You're gonna be starting your third trimester soon."

"We've been kickin' around a few names, but nothing that really stuck," Clint answered. "We've still got some time."

"More than enough time," Natasha amended.

"If you guys haven't picked out a name, I have a suggestion," Tony chimed in.

"No," Natasha said quickly, rolling her eyes at him. She knew where he was heading with this and she was going to cut him off before he started.

"Aw come on, you don't even know what I'm gonna say," he whined.

"Tony, I think everyone knows what you're gonna say," Bruce answered. "It's gonna be the same thing you've been saying since before Asgeir was born."

"And the answer is still gonna be no," Steve added.

"Come on, Toni is a great name," Tony complained.

"Also a guy's name," Clint commented. "Not giving my daughter a boy's name."

"No, Birdbrain, you call her Toni with an I. Short for Antonia. It'll be great; she can be named after her Uncle Tony."

"No," Clint and Natasha said simultaneously.

"If our daughter ends up like her Uncle Tony, Clint and I are gonna have our hands full," Natasha added.

"Give it up, Tony," Pepper laughed, patting his arm. "No one is gonna name their child after you; you need to give up the dream."

"But Tony's such an amazing name," Tony complained. "The name of a genius. Filled with intelligence, charisma, a sense of humor-"

"And a rather large ego," Thor finished, chuckling. He rose from the couch, easily scooping his sleeping son and nephew into his arms. He carefully deposited Alex into Pepper's arms before taking his seat again next to Jane, shifting Asgeir into a more comfortable position.

"You wound me, Goldilocks," Tony said dramatically, clutching at his chest. "I don't know why you guys won't name your kid after me. What are you gonna name her then? Some cliché Russian name like Anastasia?"

"Not a chance," Clint laughed. "Though we might go with a Russian name since the baby's taking my last name."

"A Russian name would be different," Bruce said. "Something different for the only little girl in the Tower."

"Something different for the pair of ninja assassins I _knew_ would end up together even though they denied it," Tony commented.

"We were married before the Avengers were formed, so what you think doesn't matter," Natasha retorted. She fidgeted some more on the couch, her frustration building at the pain in her back.

"The point is I was still right," he answered proudly. "I knew something was going on even if you guys never admitted it."

"When we decide what to name the baby, we'll let you know Tony," Clint said, covertly glancing at Natasha. He could tell she was uncomfortable, but unwilling to show weakness, even now. "I think I'm gonna head to bed; I'm bushed from the mission today." He got to his feet, offering Natasha his hand. "You comin' Nat?"

Natasha nodded, taking his hand as she wished everyone a good night. "Thought you would have noticed," she said as he closed their bedroom door behind them.

"Of course I noticed; you've never been much of a fidgeter," Clint answered, leading her over to the bed. "How long has the back pain been going on?"

"All day," she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Have you called the doctor?" he asked quietly, sitting behind her as he began to rub her back. As excited as he was about his daughter, the doctor's words were always replaying in the back of his mind, constantly warning him about the potential dangers of the pregnancy.

"Yeah, I did early," she answered, relaxing as Clint kneaded the tension from her muscles. "She said back pain is perfectly normal, but to come in if it becomes unbearable."

"Your unbearable and a normal person's unbearable are two different things."

"Yeah, well I presume she means a normal person's."

Clint sighed, placing his hands on the side of her stomach. "I'm just worried about you two," he said quietly.

"That makes two of us," she answered softly. "That makes two of us."

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Well the ending of that chapter was...different. Are Clint and Natasha overly worried or should they be worried about the future? Reviews please


	13. The nursery: 30 weeks

Sorry it's taken me so long to update guys. Writer's block + school work does not equal writing time. Hope you like this chapter.

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Steve took a step back, frowning slightly as he examined the tree he had drawn on the wall. Something about the tree just wasn't right, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He sighed, picking up his sketchbook from the floor and flipping through the pages. If he was gonna do something for his niece, he was gonna do it perfectly.

Steve was glad he had a chance to put his talent to work, doing something useful with it instead of just aimlessly drawing. Although he never thought he'd be designing his niece's nursery, but he didn't expect to do a lot of things: being frozen for seventy years, becoming a superhero of the 21st century, having a dysfunctional family complete with little nephews. Definitely didn't expect to see Natasha and Clint raising a family of their own. Life was just full of surprises.

* * *

Flashback

"_You want me to design the nursery?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. Steve was in the kitchen with Clint and Natasha, pouring himself a cup of coffee early one morning. Even thought Natasha couldn't work out like she normally did with her ever-growing midsection, she still woke up early with Clint and performed a pregnancy safe workout. Old habits die hard. _

"_Yeah, you're the only one of us who actually have a non-violent talent," Clint said, smiling as he leaned back against the kitchen counter. _

"_That's not true and you know it, Barton," Natasha retorted, unconsciously rubbing her hand across the top of her stomach. Steve smiled as he watched her; it seemed like Natasha or Clint was always rubbing her stomach, wanting to be close to the baby. He couldn't blame them; he'd be the same way too if he was expecting a baby. "But you are the only one of us with any kind of artistic skill. I've seen your drawings, Steve; they're amazing."_

"_And we only want the best for our little girl," Clint added proudly, a smile on his face. "So what do you think Steve? Can you do it for us?" _

"_Yeah, I'd love to," Steve said, smiling at them as he took a sip of his coffee. "What were you thinking?"_

* * *

Steve thought the nursery might have an underwater theme since Clint was constantly calling the baby Squirt; he remembered the name from the afternoon he spent watching Finding Nemo with Asgeir and Alex, he couldn't remember how many movies he sat through with his nephews. But instead he was drawing a forest, the walls crammed full of trees. Definitely something different for his only niece, the only little girl to run through the halls of the Tower. He picked up his pencil again, redrawing the trunk of the tree, making it a bit wider.

"That looks better," he said aloud after a few minutes, stepping back again to look at his work.

"Looks good, Steve," Natasha commented, leaning against the doorway.

Steve looked over his shoulder in surprise, smiling at her. Even seven months pregnant, Natasha still managed to walk around the house like a jungle cat, never alerting anyone to her presence if she didn't want them to know. Of course now she waddled more than she walked, but no one was stupid enough to point that out, not even Tony.

"You think so?" he asked, looking at the wall. The entire room was covered with trees and plants, creating an unpainted jungle scene, complete with monkeys hanging from the trees.

"Absolutely," she answered, stepping into the room. She leaned back against the wall, taking a deep breath. She was getting tired more and more easily as of late, hating her constant need to sit down and take a breather. It annoyed her, having to constantly slow down but more than anything it worried her over her daughter's health. She knew it was normal for pregnant women to become tired having to carry around so much extra weight, but there was something about her tiredness that set her nerves on edge. "I've been to the jungle before, several times in fact; this definitely looks like it. All it needs is some paint and it'll look perfect for Squirt."

Steve smiled at the nickname, knowing it would stick with his niece for a vast majority of her life. "Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, walking over to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, waving her hand dismissively. She slowly slid down the wall, sighing as her butt hit the floor. "Just a little tired, that's all."

Steve frowned, but nodded, taking a seat next to her. He was incredibly worried about Natasha and the baby. Her pregnancy was different from Pepper and Jane's, more dangerous and that made him incredibly nervous. He had seen the things Natasha's body had been through, seen the lengths to which she pushed herself and knew all of that would work against her and the baby. He knew how attached Natasha and Clint had become to their daughter; he didn't want them to lose her. "The little princess leaving you exhausted?" he guessed, leaning back against the wall.

"You wouldn't believe it," Natasha groaned, rolling her eyes. "I swear she takes after her father; she just lives to annoy me. If she's not killing me with heartburn, she's trying to break my ribs with her kicking. If she's not kicking up a storm, she has to pick the most uncomfortable position to take a nap in. She's irritating her mom from the inside out."

"She's a little handful already," he chuckled. "She'll give Asgeir and Alex a run for their money."

"God, I hope not," she said, smiling as she shook her head. She was quiet for a few minutes, rubbing the side of her stomach. "I just want her here already," she said quietly, worry seeping into her voice.

"She'll be here in no time," Steve assured her. "You'll both be fine."

Natasha nodded her head, her teeth biting her lip. _'I hope so,'_ she thought.

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Reviews please!


	14. Father's worry: 31 weeks

So one of my readers said that my story was dragging, is it guys? A bouncing bundle of thunder was like 40 chapters long, but that had two weddings in it so it doesn't count. And Stark brings a Stork is like 20-ish chapters. I'm hoping this story caps out at at least 20 chapters.

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Clint walked through the empty halls of the Tower, his bare feet barely making a sound against the floor. He had been woken up by Natasha's tossing and turning and after helping her fall back asleep found himself unable to sleep again. _'Kid's not even born yet and she's keeping her parents awake at night,'_ he thought, smiling slightly. It was almost three in the morning; even the sounds outside seemed to be more muted than normal for New York. He paused as he got closer to the future nursery, frowning as he heard fumbling around in the room. _'Who would be in there at all, let alone at this hour?'_ he thought, wondering if Asgeir or Alex had woken up and decided to roam the Tower; it wouldn't be the first time, but Jarvis usually woke someone about it.

Walking over to the open door, he was surprised to find Bruce in the nursery, an open can of paint next to him. The floor was covered with a tarp to prevent paint drops on the floor as Bruce crouched on the ground, carefully painting the trunk of one of the trees Steve had created.

After spending hours working on formulas in the lab, Bruce decided to call it a night even though he didn't feel tired; insomnia was a pain. Walking past the empty nursery, he stopped in the doorway, sticking his head in. Steve had done an amazing job with the drawings, covering most of the empty walls; all it needed was a bit of color to bring it to life. Well some color and a baby to sleep in the room. In no time at all the room would be filled with furniture and toys, all the things a baby girl could want.

He couldn't believe they'd be filling the Tower with yet another baby, but he wasn't complaining; he loved his role as Uncle Bruce. His life had changed so dramatically since he joined the Avengers, filled with more people than he ever could have dreamed of, people who cared about him, who weren't afraid of him. His best friend was constantly trying to get the Hulk _out_, not run from it. But his best friend wasn't exactly normal.

Spotting the paint cans waiting in the corner, Bruce walked in, intending to only paint for a little bit. Yet an hour and a fourth of a wall later, he was still there painting, giving his work his full attention.

"Regular Michelangelo, eh Bruce?" Clint said quietly as Bruce set the paintbrush down.

Bruce looked over his shoulder, smiling sheepishly as he stood up. "I didn't think anyone else would be up at this hour," he answered. "I couldn't sleep so I figured I'd lend a hand with the nursery. Won't be much longer until the baby gets here."

"You're telling me," Clint chuckled, running his hand through his hair. "Squirt was just giving Nat hell, took a while for her to fall back asleep."

"Hope that's not a sign of the future," he replied, smiling at his friend. "Though I wouldn't be surprised given who her family is; she'll be hard pressed to sneak past you and Natasha."

"I don't know; with her cousins' help she just might be able to do it," he answered. "You know what trouble makers Alex and Asgeir can be sometimes; the three of them together might be trouble for us."

"Have you guys picked out a name yet for her?"

Clint shook his head. "Not yet; we were able to pick out a nursery theme, but not a name for the kid."

"You know Tony's building a crib for her," Bruce commented. "He's been messing around with blueprints for a while."

"You're kidding me," Clint said seriously.

"I wish I was but I'm not," Bruce answered. "He said since you wouldn't name the kid after him, he gets to build the crib. I think he likes making things for the kids."

"He obviously hasn't mentioned this to Nat since he's still alive," he answered dryly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I want my child to be safe while she sleeps, not worried that her crib is gonna suddenly explode or grow legs and walk away."

"I don't think Tony would go that extreme," Bruce said in his best friend's defense. "Tony might be crazy about a lot of things, but I don't think he'd put his niece in danger. Granted he hasn't let me see the sketches yet."

"I don't know who's gonna kill him: Pepper or Nat," Clint groaned, leaning against an unpainted wall.

"Probably Pepper. She'd beat Nat to it just because she doesn't want Natasha to put that kind of stress on her body," Bruce answered. "Probably easier for Pepper to catch him too."

"Yeah, last thing Nat needs is more stress on herself. The baby's already doing a number on her," he said worriedly. "I'm worried about those two. With everything the doctor said...we can't lose our daughter at the last second, Bruce."

"Has Natasha been having problems lately?" he asked, slipping into doctor mode.

"Not really, just some back pain. It's just," Clint paused, trying to organize his thoughts. "My instincts are screaming at me right now, but I can't figure out what they're trying to say. Something's not right though; I can feel it."

"Try not to worry too much about it," Bruce advised. "You go looking for monsters in the corners, you're bound to find them. You've got one of the best doctors taking care of Natasha and the baby and on top of that she's _your_ daughter. Yours and Natasha's. She's gonna be a little fighter. They'll both be alright."

Clint nodded in agreement. "You're probably right; it's probably just baby jitters."

"Don't worry about it; you and Nat are gonna be great. You're great with your nephews and you'll be great with your daughter," Bruce said reassuringly.

"Thanks, Bruce," Clint said, smiling slightly. "I better head back to bed. Get some rest too."

"I will," he answered as Clint walked away. He took one last look at the unfinished nursery before walking away, his mind heavy with worry.

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*dramatic music* Reviews please.


	15. One last mission: 34 weeks

Sorry this chapter's kinda short; it's been kinda crazy for me lately.

* * *

"A week?" Clint said incredulously, leaning forward in his seat. After being given his latest mission assignment by a none too pleased Agent Coulson, Clint decided to go talk to Fury to see if something, anything could be done about his mission. He wouldn't have had a problem with the mission if it was any other time, but now. "Come on, Director, you can't send me on a week long mission now; Natasha's pregnant."

"I'm well aware of the fact that Agent Romanoff's expecting a child, Agent Barton," Fury said seriously. "I believe we had a meeting in this very office about it months ago. But your wife's pregnancy doesn't affect your duties as a SHIELD agent. As the director of this agency, I say when and where you go on missions. If I wanted to send you to Alaska for six months, you'd be packing a suitcase full of thermals. Now I'm saying you've got a week long mission to go on so you better pack accordingly. No excuses."

Clint sighed, leaning back in his chair as he seriously debated calling in Natasha to let her have a shot at Fury. She might waddle a bit when she walked now, but she was just as terrifying, if not more right now. Natasha was getting closer and closer to her due date; the last thing he wanted to do was go on a mission for a week. What if something happened to her and the baby while he was gone? He ultimately decided against bringing her in; she didn't need anymore stress on her body than she already had. "Director Fury, please-"

"Agent Barton, contrary to popular belief, I am not an unfeeling man," Fury interrupted him, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If I could avoid sending you on the mission, I would; I'd rather not have a distracted agent in the field when he can be home with his pregnant wife. I realize you don't want to leave at this time, but we have no other choice. There are only two agents SHIELD has that could handle this mission and at the moment one of them is at home pregnant. Since it's your fault she's pregnant the mission now falls to you. I promise this is the last mission you'll be sent on until after Agent Romanoff has the baby."

"What if something happens to her or my daughter while I'm gone?" he questioned.

"In the event that something does happen to either of them, you will be pulled from the mission immediately and brought back to New York. Agent Romanoff will be under the care of the best doctors SHIELD can provide. We have it covered, Agent Barton."

_'Crap,'_ Clint thought, sighing softly_. 'Guess that means I have to go.'_ "When do I leave?"

"Midnight," Fury answered. "Gives you twelve hours to get your affairs in order.

* * *

"He wants you to leave tonight!" Natasha shouted, her face flushed in anger. She didn't take the news of his departure as well as Clint would have liked. She paced back and forth across the room slowly, her hands resting on her stomach while Clint watched her from the bed, well out of her arm's reach. "Out of all the times for him to send you away he picks _now_? Where were these week long missions when I didn't look like I was hiding a watermelon under my shirt?"

"Nat, you know Fury can't exactly choose when the world goes to hell," Clint said as she paused to take a breath.

"He sure as hell acts like it," she retorted. "I'm sure he could find someone else to take over the mission."

"The only person fit for the job is you and with our daughter inside of you I wouldn't exactly say you were fit for the job." He frowned as he got to his feet, walking over to Natasha to stop her pacing. "Tasha, you shouldn't stress yourself like this; you know it's not good for Squirt."

"I know, she's been kicking up a storm since I started walking around," she answered, wincing as the baby kicked her hard. "Okay okay, I've stopped walking around, kid. I don't think she's too pleased that you're leaving either."

"I'll be back soon, Squirt," he said softly, rubbing the side of Natasha's stomach. "You doubting me, Tasha? This won't be the first mission I've gone on since you've gotten pregnant, Nat."

"Yes, but this is gonna be the first long mission you're going on since I got pregnant where I won't be able to rush out and save your butt," she teased him, forcing herself to calm down. _'Damn pregnancy hormones,'_ she thought annoyed. Clint was just as skilled as she was in the field; he could take care of himself for a week on a mission. He did it tons of times before he met her and he managed to do it tons of time after.

"Well then I'll be sure not to screw up and give you a reason to kick my ass when I get back; how's that?"

"You better come back in one piece, Barton," Natasha warned, her voice tinged with worry. "I don't want to raise this baby alone; you got me into this mess, you better be here with me to help raise her."

"I wouldn't dream of being anywhere else, Tasha," he said, kissing her gently. "I promise."

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Don't make promises you can't keep Agent Barton. Reviews please


	16. News: 35 weeks

Natasha sat in the rocking chair of the nursery, looking around at the completed room. She couldn't believe how quickly the room had gotten put together. The trees and the animals filling the walls were painted in, seeming almost real enough to touch. The furniture was moved into place, although strangely the crib she had ordered hadn't arrived yet. The dresser was filled with baby clothes, covering the entire spectrum of colors. All that was left was for a crib to fill the empty space against one of the walls and a baby to sleep in the crib. Although Natasha wasn't in any for the baby to arrive, Clint still had two more days of the mission and it would be far too early for the baby to arrive.

"Spider momma, you in here?" Tony called, poking his head through the doorway. He grinned wickedly as he saw her sitting in the corner, stepping into the room. "Got a surprise."

"I don't want it," Natasha answered immediately, bracing her hands on the arms of the chair before pushing to her feet. Her hand smoothed the front of her shirt, running over her rounded belly.

"Aw come on, you wouldn't let me pick the baby's name so you gotta let me have this," he retorted. "I built my little niece a crib."

"You expect me to put my daughter to sleep in something you built?" she asked skeptically. "I don't think so."

"It's perfectly safe," Tony answered, walking back into the hall. With Bruce's help, he managed to lug in a rounded contraption that Natasha gazed at distrustfully.

"Is that…"

"A nest?" Tony finished, smiling proudly. "You bet it is. I figured for little baby Blackhawk-"

"You call my daughter that again, I will stab you," Natasha said seriously.

"That a nest would be the perfect crib. It's great, isn't it?" The crib did look like an oversized nest; it was a concave oval shape with enough room at it's deepest part for the baby to roll around and move. It was filled with a brown blanket that went nicely with the yellow walls and supported its nest imagery.

"I can promise you the crib is perfectly safe," Bruce assured Natasha. "I went over the blueprints myself and watched him build the whole thing. The crib will not move, roll away, bounce, rotate, explode, shoot anything out, or do anything else that would potentially harm the baby. Honestly it's just a crib that happens to look like a nest."

Natasha walked over to the crib, leaning her hand against the side. _'Seems sturdy enough,'_ she thought, inspecting it carefully. She knew as crazy as Tony could be sometimes, he really wouldn't do anything that could potentially hurt her child; he feared her and loved her daughter too much. "I guess we can give it a try," Natasha said after a moment. "I'm sure Clint will get a kick out of it when he comes home."

"If you lovebirds want, I can build one for your bedroom," Tony said cheekily. "Hawkeye will really feel at home that way."

"If I walk into my room and find anything but my normal bed in there, Pepper will become a single mother," Natasha warned.

"Don't harass the pregnant lady, Tony," Bruce said, rolling his eyes as the trio walked out of the room. "She's stressed enough and she can still kill you. Don't push your luck."

"How'd you like the crib?" Pepper asked as they all walked into the living room.

"You knew?" Natasha questioned, pulling her phone from her pocket as she sat down on the couch between Asgeir and Alex. She knew Clint probably wouldn't call her while he was on a mission, but she still liked to have her phone close at hand just in case he got the chance.

"Of course I knew; Tony's been going on about it for weeks," Pepper replied, smiling as she shook her head. "I just decided not to ruin his fun and tell you."

"Your husband built my child a nest for a crib."

"But you're not having a bird, Aunt Tasha," Alex said, confused. "Babies don't sleep in nests."

"Try telling your father that, not me. I'm having a normal human baby; he decided to built a nest instead of a crib," Natasha answered him.

"Uncle Tony's funny," Asgeir laughed, sliding off the couch to grab a toy from the floor.

"I swear you have no sense of imagination, Girl on Fire," Tony said, shaking his head. "You know I could call your daughter that. Especially if she has your red hair and Clint's archery skills," he mused. "I'll nickname her Katniss."

"Clint will shoot you in your knee," Pepper commented.

Everyone's heads turned as they heard the elevator doors whoosh open, revealing Phil Coulson.

"Son of Coul!" Thor greeted him loudly as he came out of the kitchen. "It is good to see you again. We have not seen you in the Tower in many weeks. What brings you to visit today?"

Natasha got to her feet slowly, her face paling as she looked at Phil. _'No, no, no,'_ she chanted fearfully, her stomach twisting into knots of fear. _'This isn't happening; this can't be happening.'_

"I'm here to see Natasha," Phil answered, looking away from the Asgardian and focusing his attention on her.

Natasha took a step back, narrowly avoiding one of the many toys that littered the ground. "Get out," she said shakily, pointing to the elevator as she took another step back. She knew that look on Phil's face, had seen it many times, though never directed toward her. It was the face of sadness, of pity, of news he didn't want to deliver, that he wished didn't have to be delivered.

"Natasha, I need to talk to you," Phil said, walking over to her.

She continued stepping away from her, her body trembling with fear as her eyes began to well up. She pushed his hands away harshly as he attempted to place them on her arms, determined to put space between them. "I said get out!" she shouted, startling Asgeir and Alex, who quickly scampered over to their parents. "Phil, leave! Please just go," she pleaded.

Tony would have ordinarily snapped at Natasha for frightening Alex, but the look of utter terror on her face had him getting to his feet, putting himself between Phil and Natasha. "Phil, what's going on?" he asked worriedly. Anything that had Natasha that panicked definitely wasn't good news.

Phil looked at Tony, taking a deep breath before looking back at Natasha. "Clint's been missing for twenty-four hours; we don't know where he is. We can't get in contact with him. He's just...gone."

A pair of tears rolled down Natasha's cheeks before everything went dark.

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*dramatic music* reviews please!


	17. Rescue Mission

Clint groaned as he regained consciousness, his head throbbing in pain. He felt something drip from his hairline, slowly rolling down the side of his face before splattering on his shoulder. _'Probably blood,'_ he thought dully. _'Wouldn't have been the first time I've shed some.'_ He couldn't figure out how long he had been held captive, couldn't have been much more than thirty hours, but his body had already been put through the ringer. He could barely remember how he was captured in the first place; everything that happened on the mission was a vague blur to him, whether from what they used to knock him unconscious or his head getting banged around he wasn't sure.

His mind quickly did a physical inventory of his body, not liking what he came up with. He had at least a mild concussion going by his blurred vision that refused to clear and the nausea he was barely controlling; his left shoulder felt like it was pulled out of its socket, producing a dull ache in his shoulder; two of his ribs were broken on the right side if the burning sensation he felt every time he breathed meant anything; his body was covered in a number of bruises and cuts, some would heal quickly, while others would linger around like a bad cold. Overall he wasn't doing too horribly, but he knew the interrogations would only get worse if he didn't get out of there soon.

And that's where his problems began. How to get out. If the fact that he was injured, half starved and alone- he tried not to think too hard about what may have possible happened to the other members of his squad- wasn't bad enough, he was tied to a chair in a facility he wasn't familiar with. Was it heavily guarded? Were there people stationed outside his door? Was he even above ground or below? The windowless room he had been kept in gave nothing away.

_'Nat's gonna kill me,'_ he thought miserably, his thoughts focused on her and the baby. His thoughts frequently darted back to them as they interrogated him, his oasis in this living hell. He promised her that he would come back home for her and their daughter and he sure as hell wouldn't break his promise. He would be there for the birth of his daughter, to raise her with Natasha and have a family of his own. He knew the other Avengers would come for him soon; he just had to wait out everything. It was going to be a battle of wills.

He resisted the urge to turn his head as he heard the door behind him creak open and shut again, the quiet thump of boots on the ground giving away the person who had entered. "The infamous Hawkeye," the person drawled, coming around to stand in front of him. He pulled out a cigar, lighting it as he pulled a chair over from the corner, placing it in front of him. "It looks like you've been caged at last."

_'Seriously, I'm tired of bad bird jokes,'_ he thought, rolling his eyes. He withheld that comment, choosing to keep all the teeth in his mouth. "What do you want with me?" he asked coldly.

"We just want a little bit of SHIELD information; I don't understand why you won't share it with us," he answered, taking a puff of his cigar. "If you would willingly help us, we wouldn't have to be so…unpleasant about it," he said, looking over Clint's battered body.

"Oh yeah, we'll be best friends once I hand over SHIELD secrets," Clint replied sarcastically. "Because you wouldn't just choose to kill me off and be done with it. I'll pass, thanks."

"Don't be so quick to pass on our-"

"You keep using plural words," Clint interrupted him. "We, us, ours. How many of you are there?"

The man smiled tightly, knowing he said more than he intended to. "I'm sure you'll reconsider our offer," he said, standing up. "Get in here!"

The door opened again and Clint could hear at least two distinct pair of footsteps._ 'It's gonna be a long day,' _he thought, cracking his neck as the two men appeared in front of him. _'Really long.' _

"Don't worry, Red," Tony said through the intercom system as he put on his Ironman suit. "We'll go find that husband of yours. Find him, kick his ass for disappearing like that and then bring him back home."

* * *

Natasha sat numbly on the couch, her hands resting limply on her stomach. After being revived from her brief fainting fit, Natasha sat silently on the couch as the rest of the Avengers quickly suited up to leave the Tower. Her emotions immediately shut down once she regained consciousness, unable to deal with everything that was happening. The Red Room had been right about one thing: emotions were dangerous. That was one of the many rules they had drilled into all the recruits; look where going against it had gotten her: potentially becoming a single mother to a child she didn't know how to raise.

She was kicking herself for letting Clint go on that mission. She couldn't have stopped him from going regardless, but she should have tried harder. She had a bad feeling about the mission and she ignored it. Now the Avengers were racing against the clock to find him alive and all she could do was sit at home and wait to hear if Clint was dead or alive.

"Natasha," Steve said, pausing by the couch as the others headed to the roof to board the plane. He frowned as he looked at her dull green eyes, lacking their usual vibrant color. Natasha looked up at Steve, her eyes focusing momentarily on him.

"Find him," she said softly, her hands rubbing her stomach unconsciously, trying to coax some movement out of her daughter whom had gotten quiet since she fainted. "Bring him back."

"We're gonna find him; we're gonna bring Clint home to you. I promise," Steve said, squeezing her hand gently before getting up and heading to the roof.

"Do you think we'll find him, Captain?" Thor asked seriously as Steve got on the plane.

Steve frowned, looking out the window to the staircase leading inside. "I hope so, I really do," he answered quietly._ 'Or that little girl won't have a mother or a father.' _

* * *

Reviews please!


	18. Search and Rescue

"You sure he's in there, Stark?" Steve asked as they approached the compound. After tracking Clint's last known movements through the thick jungles, Tony managed to tag onto the other technology in the area, tracing them to their locations. They ended up following a bunch of dead ends, each one worrying the team more and more. If they wanted to bring Clint home on a stretcher instead of in a pine box, they needed to move quickly. Finally they found a lead that seemed to be worth the trouble tripping over tree roots and getting tangled in vines. If it meant bringing Clint home alive, they were willing to search the entire jungle.

"I'd say yes, but I'm pretty sure I said that last time," Tony answered, a hint of nervousness in his voice. With every passing hour that they didn't find Clint, the knots in his stomach tightened. He refused to go back to Natasha without Clint in one piece. They weren't the best of friends, but he would not break Natasha's heart like that; god only knew what the stress was doing to the baby. "There are definitely a lot of people moving around inside. One of them could be him."

"Verily I hope the Hawk is being held here," Thor said, looking up at the massive stone building. "I could not think of what else such a place would be used for." The compound was built like a miniature castle, surrounded by guards at every corner. _'We must find friend Clint soon,'_ he thought worriedly. _'Or the babe shall grow without a father.'_

"Alright, battle plan," Steve said as they stood a few yards from the building, still hidden by the trees. "Bruce, we need a diversion. I want you to take out the south wall; do whatever you can to keep them distracted. Tony and I will go in through the north side and search for Clint. Thor, I want you to guard that side. Once the alarms go off inside, a lot of people are gonna come running; make sure no one comes in after us. Everyone got it?"

Bruce nodded, quickly making his way around to the other side of the building. The Hulk's roar echoed through the area, startling some of the birds in the nearby trees. As the guards swarmed toward the back of the building, the remaining Avengers rushed toward the front, quickly taking out the guards before Steve and Tony ran inside.

"Need some directions, Stark," Steve said as guards began to rush toward them.

"Workin' on it, Capsicle," Tony retorted.

* * *

Clint blinked slowly as he heard a loud, vaguely familiar roar, the sound bringing him out of his haze of pain. The past twenty-four hours tested his limits of pain, pushing his body to its breaking point. Part of him wanted to give in and let his body snap, but the stronger part of him continued fighting, unwilling to give up his hope of getting home to his family. His left arm was broken, sending a sharp pain through his arm with every minute movement; his thighs and arms were covered in a myriad of slashes, some barely breaking the skin, others cutting deep; one of his eyes was swollen shut from the numerous punches he had sustained and he was pretty sure one of his molars was loose. Tacking those injuries onto his older ones, he wasn't looking too well. He wasn't sure what he was worried about most: bleeding out, getting an infection and dying, or being outright killed.

"What the hell is that?" his main tormentor yelled to his underlings. The guards looked at each other before looking back at the man in confusion. The roar had been quickly followed by the sound of guns firing, angering whatever they were shooting at if the sounds were any indication. "Don't just stand there! Go find out!" He looked around the windowless room as if he could see through the stone. The other men rushed out of the room, their guns drawn as they ran into the hallway.

Clint's head hung limply from his neck, his breathing labored as his vision began to blur. The sounds he heard sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was; all the punches to his face were making his brain run a little slower than usual. The sounds of fighting increased as he fought to remain conscious. Something was coming and he wasn't entirely sure if it was a good thing or bad; now was not the time to catch up on his beauty sleep.

"What's going on?" the man shouted, drawing his gun from its holster and pointing it at Clint.

"You…tell…me," Clint panted, each breath making his side scream in pain. "I'm tied…to a chair. Let me go and….I'll find out."

"You want to get smart with me now?" the man sneered. "You're beaten and bloody, still tied to a chair. If I untied you I doubt you could stand on your own two feet. You are beaten."

They both jumped as the door was suddenly blown in, the wooden door hitting the opposite wall with a loud bang. "That's why he called for backup," Tony said before blasting the man through the back wall.

Clint's shoulders slumped in relief as he heard Tony's voice; that's why the noises outside sounded so familiar. It was the Hulk's roaring.

"Robin Hood, we've had one hell of a time finding you," Tony said, quickly untying Clint from the chair as Steve ran into the room. "Your wife is pissed as hell with you."

Clint cursed loudly as he moved, every inch of him aching. "Is Nat..okay? The baby?" he questioned.

"Yeah, they're both fine. Both waiting for you to get home," Steve answered, walking over to Clint's side. He pulled Clint's uninjured arm over his shoulder, letting him lean his weight against him. "Let's get you a doctor and get outta here."

"Need a phone," Clint said as they slowly made their way through the semi-destroyed building. "Lost my…comm. link."

"Don't worry; we'll get you a plastic surgeon when we get back home," Tony joked.

Steve rolled his eyes, handing Clint his earpiece. "What do you need it for?" he asked curiously.

Clint ignored him, slipping on the earpiece.

* * *

Natasha jumped as the phone rang, her heart leaping into her throat. This was the make or break call; it would either be the guys calling to say they found Clint dead or they found him alive. With shaky hands, she reached forward, picking it up. "Hello?" she said softly.

"Nat," Clint said, her name leaving his lips like a prayer. It was even better than he remembered it. "I'm coming home, Nat. I'm coming home," he said to her before promptly losing consciousness.

* * *

Reviews please!


	19. Welcome Back

Clint faded in and out of consciousness as they flew back to New York, catching bits and pieces of conversation with each resurfacing. As far as he could tell the team was in the room with him as the doctors working on his injuries, but he couldn't see any of them. Every time he woke, he seemed to have just enough time to figure out where he was, who was around him and answer a few questions before he was unconscious again.

"Should we be worried about him drifting in and out of consciousness like that?" Steve asked, watching as Clint's head went limp again. "Does he have a brain injury or anything?"

"You're asking if the guy who jumps off of rooftops with only a quiver full of high-tech arrows and a bow on a regular basis has a brain injury?" Tony asked sarcastically. "Nah, don't think so; he seems perfectly fine to me."

"Be nice, Tony," Bruce said, looking up from the monitors that watched Clint's vitals. "It's a legitimate question. He does have a mild concussion, but he should be alright. It's actually fine that he keeps waking up on his own; we'd have to wake him every two hours to make sure he's alright regardless."

"The Hawk is in desperate need of rest," Thor said quietly, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall of the plane. "But he shall not rest until he returns to the Lady Natasha. His heart longs for her; only then shall he truly rest."

"Well said, Shakespeare," Tony said teasingly, looking over at Thor. As much as he teased, Tony knew he had a point. If he was in Clint's shoes, he wouldn't sleep until he knew he was home with Pepper; only difference was Clint's injuries didn't give him a lot of room for negotiation about rest. "Well only four more hours till he's home; might as well get the rest he needs now for when Natasha kicks his ass later."

* * *

Phil picked Natasha up from the Tower once he got the call confirming their arrival at the SHIELD base. He was worried about Clint and Natasha: Clint for the injuries he sustained while he was kidnapped, Natasha for the stress her body was under. Whenever he thought about Natasha and her pregnancy, he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise, a sense of foreboding washing over him. But there was nothing he could do about the feeling, but brush it off as over protectiveness. Natasha and Clint were family to him and he was going to be godfather to their daughter.

"How's my little goddaughter doing?" Phil asked as he helped Natasha out of the car.

"Better," she answered, resting her hands on top of her stomach. She took a deep breath as she stood outside the car, feeling some of the tension lift from her knowing that Clint was close by and for all intensive purposes, okay. The team said he was pretty battered, but didn't elaborate in an effort to keep her from worrying. "She's been moving around a lot more since Clint called that he was coming home. She was probably just as worried as I was."

"Have you and Clint picked out a name yet?" he questioned, walking her through the halls of the base, heading straight for the medical wing.

"We have actually, but we're gonna keep it quiet until she's born. It's staying between me and Clint for now."

"There's our spider momma," Tony said as he noticed Natasha walking toward them with Clint. "Knew I should have started a betting pool to see how long it'd take you to show up here. I thought you'd be waiting here for us before we arrived."

"Shut up, Stark," Natasha said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes irritably. The other Avengers looked up at her as she approached, their relaxed expressions calming any linger worry she had over Clint's health. If he was in serious condition, they wouldn't be standing around joking. "How's he doing?"

"Unconscious for now," Bruce answered. "But that won't last for long. He spent the entire flight going in and out of consciousness."

"How bad are his injuries?"

"He won't be taking any pictures any time soon," Tony muttered, remembering how swollen his face was.

"Concussion, broken arm, broken ribs, numerous lacerations. Nothing life threatening, but he's gonna need time to get better," Steve answered.

Natasha nodded her head, walking toward the door. She expected as much from his injuries, thankful it wasn't anything worse. She paused as she pushed the door open slightly, looking back over her shoulder at the team. "Thank you," she said softly before walking into the room and closing the door behind her.

Clint stirred slightly as he heard the door shut, struggling against the pain medication the IV pumped into his body. He opened his eyes slowly, his vision blurred. He could barely make out someone on the other side of the room, their body standing out against the white walls. _'Red,'_ he thought, his mind slowly processing the bright color against the wall. "Tasha," he croaked, raising his unbroken arm to rub his eyes in hopes of clearing his vision.

"Yeah, it's me," Natasha answered quietly, walking over to his side. Natasha was never one for crying, but seeing Clint battered and bruised and alive made her feel like she just might. She sat gingerly on the side of the bed, her fingers gently pushing through his hair. "You look like you've been run over with a truck."

Clint chuckled hoarsely, clearing his throat. "I feel like it," he answered, smiling slightly as his eyes finally focused, allowing him to see her properly. "But I'd probably have more broken bones. How are you? How's our daughter?"

Natasha rolled her eyes; he was captured and beaten to a bloody pulp, yet he was asking if she was okay. "We're okay, we're both fine," she answered, resting her hand on his chest. "I have one thing to say to you, Clint Barton."

"Uh oh," Clint said, raising his eyebrows. "What would that be?"

"If you _ever _scare me like that again, I will kill you myself," she threatened, her bright green eyes shining. "I am _not_ going to raise our daughter alone."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Tasha," he answered, taking her hands in his. "I'd miss out on all the fun."

Natasha chuckled slightly, shaking her head. "You're such an ass," she commented. They lapsed into an easy silence, Clint's eyes slipping shut. "Welcome home," she said quietly after a few minutes.

Clint squeezed her hands gently, his lips quirking into a small smile. "Good to be home."

* * *

Reviews please!


	20. Plenty of time: 39 weeks

I figured I should give you guys a cute chapter before i make you panic.

* * *

"Auntie Tasha, the baby's taking long to get here," Asgeir said suddenly. Asgeir and Natasha were sitting in the living room, his head resting on her lap, or more appropriately the space on her lap that wasn't taken up by her rounded stomach. While Alex easily accepted the idea that there was a baby inside of their aunt, Asgeir was absolutely fascinated by it, constantly touching her stomach or laying his ear against it to try to hear inside. If Natasha wasn't already his favorite aunt, her being pregnant would easily put her in the lead.

"Babies take time to grow, Asgeir," Natasha replied, running her fingers through his hair. "Alex took just as much time to get here too; you just don't remember it."

"But you're already so big, Auntie Tasha," he replied, attempting to wrap his arm around her stomach. "See?"

Natasha laughed, shaking her head. Only her nephew could point out the fact that she was the size of a house and she wouldn't be offended by it; she was getting pretty big. "I've still got a week or two before I have the baby; be patient kiddo. Once she gets here you might be singing a different tune."

Asgeir sat up, carefully placing his hands on Natasha's stomach. Thor and Jane had stressed to their son the importance of being gentle with her. "Why are you having a girl?"

"I didn't exactly choose to have a girl. You can't choose what baby you're gonna have. Or how many you're gonna have. You just have to work with what you're given. Roll with the punches so to speak."

"I like girls," he said, nodding his head. "Girls are nice like you and Mommy and Auntie Pepper. And they smell pretty. We has lots of boys in the house."

"Well I'm glad you approve," Natasha chuckled, rubbing at her back. "We'd have a few problems if my nephew didn't like my daughter."

The conversation was interrupted by the sound of Alex's laughter coming from the hallways. Asgeir quickly stood up on the couch, leaning against the back of it as he looked out for his cousin.

"Unc Clint, put me down," the little boy laughed. Clint appeared from the hallway, firmly holding Alex upside down with his right arm. His left arm was still in a cast; the doctor said it would be a few weeks before his left arm healed; Natasha would probably have the baby before he was fully recovered. Most of his injuries were still repairing themselves, but he woke up with fewer aches every day. Clint smiled down affectionately at the little boy, spinning him around once before carefully putting him down on the couch.

"What are you doing to Alex?" Natasha asked as Clint plopped onto the couch next to her.

"Me and Unc Clint were playing, Auntie Tasha," Alex answered for him, pushing his shaggy black hair out of his eyes. "He said he's practicin' for the baby."

"Someone looks like he needs a hair cut; I'm surprised your mom hasn't dragged you off to the barber," she commented. "You'd think your Uncle Clint had plenty of practice over the years with you two running around the Tower."

"Never such a thing as too much practice," Clint retorted, watching Alex and Asgeir run off to play somewhere. "Imagine in a year or so our daughter's gonna be running around with them, causing trouble, destroying the Tower."

"Are you trying to excite me or worry me?" Natasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Little bit of both," Clint laughed in reply, placing his hand against her stomach. "Can't wait for you to get here, Squirt."

"Well I can; we've still got a little more time before she's supposed to arrive," Natasha answered. "She can take her time."

* * *

Natasha groaned, rolling from her back to her side_. 'Come on kid, cut me some slack,'_ she thought as she rubbed her lower back. The baby had gotten more active lately, constantly shifting around in Natasha's crowded womb. Although it could be a little annoying at times, she preferred the baby constantly moving than not moving at all; her drop in movement while Clint had gone missing terrified her. _'It's the middle of the night; let your mother sleep.' _Natasha slowly pushed herself into an upright position, resting a hand on her stomach. "No peace during the day, no peace during the night, you're gonna be just like your father, aren't you?" she said softly, feeling the baby move and kick. "Why can't you be this active during the day time, huh? Why must it be during the middle of the night?"

Clint rubbed his eyes tiredly as he heard Natasha speaking softly. "Nat?" he called groggily. "What's goin' on? You okay? Squirt okay?"

"Yeah everything's fine," she answered, running her fingers through his hair quickly. "Squirt's just decided that four in the morning is the perfect time to start her cardio."

"Like mother, like daughter," he chuckled, grabbing her hand and kissing her palm. "Sure you're fine?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Natasha replied, pulling her hand gently from his grip. "I'm just gonna go to the bathroom before I try to go back to bed." Clint nodded, already falling back asleep.

Natasha slowly got to her feet, her balance thrown off slightly by her weight. She paused as she got to the doorway of the bathroom, her hand bracing on the doorframe as she felt a sudden wetness down her thighs. _'Oh no,'_ she thought, hurrying into the bathroom_. 'Now kid? Really now?'_ She shuffled back out to the bedroom, going to the dresser for a new pair of pants. "Clint, get up," she called over her shoulder, trying to keep herself calm despite her growing panic.

"It's not morning yet," he groaned, rolling onto his other side.

"Clint Barton, get up now," she said irritably, throwing a pair of socks at his head. "This is not the time for sleep."

"Why not?" he asked, sitting up right. "What can be so important at," he paused, turning to the clock, "a little after four in the morning?"

"My water broke, that's what," Natasha replied, worry shining in her green eyes. "The baby's coming. Now."

* * *

The baby's coming! Reviews please!


	21. Silence

Keep an eye out for the baby's name at the end of the chapter.

* * *

Although two children had already been born into the family, the Avengers were still scrambling to get everything together once they realized Natasha's water had broken. While the others raced around the Tower to organize themselves, Clint was speeding toward the hospital with Natasha, his pulse pounding in his ears.

"Jesus Christ!" Natasha shouted as a contraction hit, her manicured nails digging into the leather of the door handle. Her eyes squeezed shut in pain as she gritted her teeth; she had dealt with a lot of pain over the years, but this was a completely new level. _'This cannot be happening,' _she thought, panicked. _'I'm not ready for this; this can't be happening. I can't have a baby.' _

Clint winced as Natasha screamed, speeding a little bit faster. He was doing well over the speed limit, but he was hoping there would be no cops out to catch him; if he got pulled over, odds were Natasha would shoot the guy. His hand tightly gripped the steering wheel, wishing his other arm wasn't broken so he could hold her hand at the very least. "Don't worry, Nat; we'll be at the hospital soon," he said worriedly. In a matter of hours he would be a father and he was absolutely terrified. "Just keep breathing."

"What did you think? That I was just gonna stop and suffocate myself?" she replied sharply, glaring at him. "This is your fault, all your fault. I can't- this shouldn't- I hate you!"

"You only hate me because you're in pain," Clint replied, earning himself a swift punch in the arm. "Shit, Nat, that hurt."

"Now you know a hundredth of what I feel!" Natasha answered, sighing in relief as her contraction finally eased a bit. _'How the hell am I supposed to get through labor without drugs?' _she thought worriedly, biting her lip. "I'm sorry," she said, taking a deep breath.

"It's fine," he replied easily, pulling into the hospital parking lot. "You're allowed to kick my ass for now; we're gonna have a kid."

"Oh god, we're having a kid," Natasha said, opening her door. "Where is everyone else?"

* * *

Phil stood outside of Natasha's hospital room, dressed impeccably in his usual suit and tie despite the early hour. He rushed to the hospital the moment he received Clint's text message, making sure everything was arranged for Natasha's arrival. After all, what were godfathers for if not ensuring the ease of their niece's arrival? He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed as he tried not to flinch at Natasha's screams and cursing; he did not envy Clint right now.

"Son of Coul!" Thor boomed as the Avengers walked down the hall toward him.

"I was wondering when you all would be showing up," Phil replied, smiling at them. "I wasn't sure if you were having trouble waking the kids or waking Tony."

"Hey, I resent that!" Tony said, shifting Alex's sleeping form from one arm to the other. "I'll have you know I was the third person to wake up once Clint sounded the alarm."

"And he's been running around in a panic ever since," Steve added, shaking Phil's hand as he stood next to her. "You'd think it was his wife that went into labor."

"Don't give him ideas, Steve," Pepper said, rolling her eyes.

Bruce flinched as Natasha suddenly screamed, frowning slightly. "How far apart are the contractions now?"

"I'd say about five minutes or so; they're getting closer," Phil answered.

"Natasha sure has an interesting vocabulary," Jane commented as she listened to Natasha swear in several different languages. "I don't speak most of those languages, but I have a pretty good idea what she's saying."

"Good luck to Robin Hood," Tony muttered.

Clint stood still as Natasha gripped his hand tightly, sure that she was damaging his bones_. 'I'm gonna need a doctor by the time she has the baby,'_ he thought, his other hand stroking her sweat soaked hair off of her forehead. "It's okay, Tasha, you're doing great," he murmured soothingly. "Hey Doc, how much longer?"

"Not too long now," the doctor answered, pulling on his gloves. "It's almost time to push, Mrs. Barton."

"I can't," Natasha said, her voice laced with pain. Her body was wracked with pain; each time she felt it had reached its peak, it surged further. She would give anything at the moment just to make it all go away. "I can't do this, Clint; I can't. I'm not ready; I'm not ready to be a mother."

"Tasha, look at me," Clint said softly, taking her face in his hands. He leaned his forehead against hers, his thumbs brushing against her cheeks gently. "You can do this. I know you're in a lot of pain right now, I couldn't even imagine it and I know you're scared but you_ can_ do this. You're Natasha Romanoff, there's nothing that you can't do. You're strong, Tasha. You've never given up before; are you gonna start now? Our daughter's depending on you. "

Natasha nodded her head, clenching her jaw. "I can do this," she told herself, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Are you ready, Mrs. Barton?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah, I'm ready," she answered hoarsely. "I'm ready." Natasha's world shrunk to that hospital room, focusing on the words of the doctor, the feel of Clint's hand in hers and the pain spreading through her body. Suddenly the pain stopped, Natasha's body slumping against Clint's body behind her.

"You did it, Nat," Clint said quietly, kissing her head as his eyes focused on the doctor holding his child.

Natasha stiffened as the doctor shouted for an incubator, her eyes widening. "She's not crying; Lilya's not crying. Why isn't she crying, Clint?" she asked, panicked. "Doctor, why isn't my daughter crying!"

"Doctor, what's wrong with our daughter?" Clint asked fearfully. "What's going on?" _'No, no, no, this can't be happening; we can't lose her now,' _he thought frantically. "Lilya should be making some sort of noise!"

"She's not breathing," the doctor answered, turning away from the couple as he attended to the baby. "We're going to take care of her."

* * *

*hides from readers* Don't hurt me! There's still more to come. Reviews please!


	22. Deep breath

I wanna apologize to my readers; I think i should have put a little warning at the beginning of the last chapter to let you guys know what was up with Lilya; I realize it was probably a sensitive topic for some of you and I'm really sorry about that. To make it up, I'm posting this chapter so early so you all won't be having heart attacks.

Another reader asked me how I came up with the name Lilya. One of my best friends had class with this girl and that was her name I thought it was perfect for their kid. I think the person who inspired the name was Russian, but i could be mistaken. As for pronunciation, it's said how it's spelled, lil-ya. I'm glad you all like it so much.

* * *

Thirty seconds. For thirty seconds, all of the hearts within a twenty-foot radius stopped beating as they listened to Natasha scream for her daughter. The air outside of the hospital room was thick with fear as the Avengers held their breath, praying for a miracle.

"Oh god," Jane whispered hoarsely, holding Asgeir firmly to her chest as her eyes welled up with tears. Natasha's screams tore at her heart; she couldn't the pain Natasha was going through, couldn't imagine her life without her son in it. To lose Asgeir would kill her.

"No, no, no, this can't happen to them," Steve said softly. _'We just brought Clint back home; things are supposed to be alright for them now; this isn't right,'_ he thought frantically. "This _can't_ happen; they can't lose her. They can't lose her now after everything that's happened."

"The babe, she will be alright, will she not?" Thor asked, his face pale as he looked around at his family, hoping for some sort of reassurance. He wrapped his arm around Jane's shoulders, pulling her tight against his side. "The doctors will help her?"

"Come on, Lilya," Phil whispered, his heart pounding in his chest. _'Don't let me lose my goddaughter before I meet her.'_

_'Lilya Barton,'_ Tony thought, his heart clenched with fear. _'Come on, Squirt, show us you're just as stubborn as your parents; show us you're a fighter. Breathe for us, kid; breathe for your mom and dad.'_

* * *

Clint held onto Natasha's shoulders tightly as she squirmed in his hold, trying to get out of bed. If she wasn't so exhausted, she would have already knocked him unconscious to climb out of bed. "Nat, you need to stay here; you need to let them take care of Lilya," Clint said, his eyes wide with fear as he watched the doctor_. 'Please don't take her away from me; please don't take them both away from me.'_

"Clint, we're gonna lose her," Natasha said, her voice tinged with hysteria as tears rolled down her cheeks. She always thought your heart breaking was just a figure of speech, but at the moment her heart felt like it was shattered, the jagged pieces tearing her to shreds. "She won't-" Natasha paused as a soft cry pierced the air, growing louder with each passing second. "Lilya," she choked out, her hand covering her mouth to hold back her sob.

"There's our girl," Clint whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek as he was finally able to breathe again. In a matter of seconds, he went from potentially losing the most important people in his life to having them back with him. He kissed Natasha's head, loosening his grip on her shoulders. "Our Lilya's a fighter, just like her mom."

"I think someone's looking for you two," the doctor said, walking over to the pair. He carefully placed the little pink bundle in Natasha's arms, tucking the blanket around her carefully.

* * *

"Holy crap," Tony said, taking a deep breath as he heard Lilya's cry. He kissed the top of Alex's head, thanking whoever was out there, for keeping Lilya safe. "This kid just took ten years off my life. She's not allowed to surprise us anymore."

"Too loud, Daddy," Alex muttered, his face pressed against Tony's neck as he fell back asleep.

"Sleeps through Natasha screaming, but me talking is too loud," Tony muttered affectionately, rubbing Alex's back.

"Thank god she's alright," Bruce sighed, running a hand across his face. "We haven't met her; we can't lose her now."

"This kid's gonna full of surprises, isn't she?" Steve commented.

"Would you expect anything less from Clint and Natasha's kid?" Phil asked, sighing in relief. "She's gonna be something else."

"She's one of the Avengers' kids; the world better watch out," Pepper laughed softly, her heart finally slowing to a somewhat normal pace.

"She shall grow to be a strong warrior, the daughter of the Hawk and the Widow," Thor announced, a smile stretching across his face now that he was certain Lilya would live. "Lilya Barton!"

* * *

"Hey," Clint cooed, his fingertip gently stroking Lilya's cheek as she squirmed and cried. He couldn't believe it; she was finally here. His little girl was finally here, alive, breathing, safe in her mother's arms. "It's okay, Squirt; Momma and Daddy are here now."

"You gave us such a scare," Natasha murmured, rocking the baby gently to soothe her. "But it's alright now; we're right here. Everything's okay." Slowly Lilya's cries trailed off to sniffles and eventually stopped altogether. "If my heart ever returns to a normal beat, you're gonna be so grounded," she said quietly.

"I don't think my heart's gonna ever get back to normal," Clint replied. "She shaved at least five years off of me, if not more."

"Don't we do that to each other all the time?" Natasha asked, turning to look at Clint.

"Yeah, but I'd rather Squirt not pick up that habit from us," he said, slipping his arm around Natasha's shoulders.

"Are you gonna keep calling her Squirt? She does have a name now."

"That she does," Clint said softly. "Lilya. Lilya Barton. She's got her mother's hair," he said, stroking the little tuft of red hair on the top of her head.

"Bet she has your eyes," Natasha replied, leaning against Clint's body as her heart finally calmed. She carefully handed Lilya to Clint, giving him a chance to hold his daughter. "We'll have to see when she wakes up again. Clint, we're parents."

"Yeah we are," he murmured, cradling Lilya in his arms. "Think we'll be any good at it?"

"We've had lots of practice with Asgeir and Alex; I think we'll be okay," Natasha answered honestly. "We love her, that's a good place to start, right?"

"Right," Clint agreed, smiling down at his daughter. "We love you, Lilya Barton. Sleep tight, love; there's a bunch of crazy people waiting to meet you when you wake up."

Natasha laughed softly. "Welcome to the insanity, honey."

* * *

I thought I'd give you guys something sweet to make up for the heartpains I gave you guys last chapter. Stick around I've still got a chapter or two left.


	23. Missing piece

A lot of people have been asking me if I'm gonna do a sequel with the Avengers babies grown up. Honestly I don't know. Little kids are easy to write because there's so much potential to change with them, adults are harder. So for now I'm gonna say no. I don't even know what I wanna write next so let me know if you guys have any ideas!

Also another one of my readers asked if Phil slept in suit pajamas or something since he got to the hospital so quickly. The answer is no lol. Phil just get dressed faster than everyone else.

Also also: i do now own the song lyrics, they belong to Jason Mraz

* * *

"Welcome home, Lilya," Clint said as he stepped out of the elevator, his daughter held carefully in his arms. After spending a week in the hospital, Lilya was finally cleared to come home.

"It's the most insane place on earth," Natasha said to her daughter, smiling down at the sleeping baby. "Like the circus but with more explosions."

"Hey don't knock the circus," Clint laughed as they walked into the living room. "I grew up in the circus."

"Look who's finally home," Pepper said, smiling as the little family walked into the living room. Everyone was gathered in the living room, sprawled out on the couches and floor as they ate dinner.

"The baby's here!" Asgeir said excitedly, climbing onto the couch as he tried to see Lilya.

"I wanna see, I wanna see," Alex chanted, jumping up and down.

"You will, you will," Natasha laughed, sitting down on the couch. "Everyone's gonna get to see Lilya."

"Still think you shoulda named her Antonia. Lilya could have been her middle name," Tony commented.

"Stark, no one's gonna name their kid after you. Pepper wouldn't let you name your kid after you; get over yourself," Clint chuckled. "First person to hold our little princess should be her godfather." He sat on the couch, carefully passing Lilya to Phil.

Phil smiled as he looked down at the little girl, watching as she opened her grey eyes. _'Eyes like her father,'_ he thought, smiling slightly. _'Hair like her mother. You're gonna be a little handful.' _"Hey beautiful," Phil cooed, his fingertip gently brushing against her cheek. "I'm your godfather, but you can just call me Uncle Phil."

Alex and Asgeir rushed over to Phil, climbing on opposite sides of him so they could see Lilya. "She's little," Alex commented, looking at the baby curiously.

"She's pretty," Asgeir replied. "She has hair like Auntie Tasha, but only a little bit. I like her."

"Welcome to the club, Asgeir," Phil chuckled, passing Lilya to the next pair of waiting hands.

Lilya slowly made her way around the room, being fawned and cooed over as she met each of her aunts and uncles. Eventually she returned to her parents' arms, held lovingly by Natasha.

Phil smiled as he watched Natasha and Clint with their daughter, Clint's arm wrapped around Natasha's shoulder as he spoke quietly to the little girl. He could still remember the day Clint brought Natasha back to the SHIELD base, shocking the hell out of everyone. Natasha had been so quiet then; she was silent, she was stubborn, she was deadly. Phil had a lot of days where he wondered if this could work, if Natasha could become an agent. But Clint refused to give up on her. He saw something in her, what Phil didn't know, but he wouldn't give up on her. Every icy glare, every death threat, Clint stuck by Natasha tougher than glue.

And he had been right. Here they were, years later, in love, together, living an incredibly modified version of the American Dream, but the dream all the same. They had each other, they had their daughter. What more could they ask for? Lilya Barton was the missing piece that completed the puzzle.

* * *

Clint groaned softly as he heard Lilya's crying, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He glanced at Natasha, making sure she was still asleep before rolling out of bed and walking quietly to the nursery. _'1:48, little earlier than usual,' _he thought. "It's okay baby, Daddy's here," Clint cooed, lifting his crying daughter out of her crib. Clint had been skeptical at first when he saw the nest crib; if Lilya didn't like it, he was gonna get her a regular one. But Lilya seemed happy enough with it; four months in and he heard no complaints. "What's wrong, princess?" he asked, grabbing a bottle from the warmer as he walked over to the rocking chair in the corner. "You know how tired your mom is; we gotta let her get some sleep."

Clint's pleas fell on deaf ears as Lilya continued crying, her fair skin now turning red, almost matching the red of her hair. "I know, I know, you're hungry," Clint murmured, placing the bottle at her lips. Lilya's cries cut off with a sniffle as she began to drink, the gentle rocking of the chair soothing her. "That's my girl. How about Daddy sings you a song?"

_When I look into your eyes_

_It's like watching the night sky_

_Or a beautiful sunrise_

_Well, there's so much they hold_

_And just like them old stars_

_I see that you've come so far_

_To be right where you are_

_How old is your soul?_

Clint smiled as he looked down at his daughter, his fingers rubbing against the soft skin of her bare arm. Some days his life felt like a dream, making him think he'd wake up in his bunk of the circus tent. To have a wife, a daughter, and a family seemed to be too much to ask for, too much to be real. But it was. The little red-haired baby in his arms was his daughter, his child with the woman he loved.

_Well, I won't give up on us_

_Even if the skies get rough_

_I'm giving you all my love_

_I'm still looking up_

He was now okay with all the suffering he faced to get there, to be in the little nursery with Lilya in his arms and Natasha sleeping safely in their bed. If he knew this was what was waiting for him in the end, he'd do it again in a heartbeat. They were worth it.

"Fancy meeting you here," Natasha said quietly, leaning against the doorframe. Natasha had been woken by Clint's gravely voice talking to Lilya, her curiosity drawing her out of bed.

"Thought you were sleeping," Clint answered, smiling at her as he set the now empty bottle on the floor.

"Heard your voice so I decided to get out of bed," she replied, walking over to him and Lilya.

"Sorry, I was trying to be quiet," Clint said, shifting Lilya in his arms. "Wanna burp her? You're better at it."

Natasha nodded, taking Lilya in her arms as she sat on Clint's lap. "Hey beautiful," she murmured, rubbing Lilya's back until she heard a quiet burp. She leaned against Clint's side as she cradled her daughter, watching her delicate eyelids flutter shut as she fell asleep. "Ever thought we'd be here?" she asked after a few quiet minutes.

"In a jungle themed nursery watching our daughter sleep?" Clint asked. "Not in my wildest dreams."

"Me neither," Natasha replied, shaking her head as she turned toward Clint. "Life's just full of surprises, isn't it?"

"Yeah it is. And you're the best kind," Clint said, leaning in to kiss her gently.

* * *

Wasn't that just flufftastic ^.^ Don't leave me just yet readers, we've still got one more chapter left. Reviews please!


	24. Picture of happiness

Here we are ladies and gentleman, our last chapter of Operation Blackhawk Baby. I want to thank all of you who spent the time reading this story, joining Clint and Natasha through the ups and downs of having a baby. You guys are truly the ones who make my stories great. I'm not sure what I'm going to write next, but it's only a matter of time before I'm back here. So enjoy this chapter, leave me a lovely review and I'll see you guys around.

-ninjanervana

* * *

On a regular day in the Tower, you never really knew what you would find in the cupboard: discarded weapons placed on the top shelf of the high cabinets, Tony's half finished inventions tossed aside, even food on occasion. But Bruce generally didn't expect to find a person in the cupboard, much less his only niece. The two year old girl was sitting comfortably in the cupboard, nestled between pots and pans. Her white headband glowed slightly in the dark, accenting her red curls. "Lilya, what are you doing in the cupboard?" Bruce asked, crouching down in front of the little girl.

"Shh," Lilya giggled, placing a finger against her lips. "Hiding Unc Bru."

"Who are you hiding from?" he asked, an amused smile on his lips.

"Alex and Asgeir," she answered. "We playing."

"Ah alright," Bruce answered, nodding in understanding. He grabbed a pot from next to her, setting it quietly on the ground. "Well I'll be right here in the kitchen cooking if you need me, okay?"

Lilya nodded her head, pulling the cupboard door shut. _'Definitely has her parents' stealth abilities,'_ Bruce thought, setting a pot of water to boil.

A few minutes later, Alex and Asgeir barreled into the kitchen, looking thoroughly frustrated.

"Uncle Bruce, have you seen Lilya?" Alex asked, looking under the table.

"No, I can't say that I have," Bruce answered easily, smiling at the pair. "But I'm sure she's around here somewhere."

"Aunt Tasha won't be happy if we lost her," Asgeir muttered as he began to search the kitchen. He began pulling open the cupboards, peeking into each of them.

"What are the mischief makers up to?" Steve asked as he walked into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter, watching his nephews turn the kitchen upside down.

"We're lookin' for Lilya," Alex answered, turning toward him. "Did you see her?"

"Found her!" Asgeir exclaimed, holding the cupboard door open for her to climb out. "Thought we'd never find you."

"I win, I win," she said happily. "Again?"

"No, not again," Steve said, scooping the little girl into his arms. "You've gotta eat some lunch before your Uncle Phil comes to pick you up, remember?"

"Please Unc Steve?" she pleaded, wrapping her arms around his neck as she looked up at him.

Steve was tempted to give in to her request, her pleading grey eyes begging him to relent. Her grey eyes and little pout were the undoing of the Avengers most of the time; it was hard for anyone to resist her sweet looks when she asked for something. But he knew he had to stay firm this time; otherwise she'd be late for everything else.

"Not this time, beautiful," he answered, kissing her head before settling her onto a seat at the table. "You can play once you get home. For now, you're gonna have to eat lunch. Come on, Asgeir, Alex, time for you guys to use lunch too."

* * *

Phil straightened his tie as the elevator doors opened, revealing the Avengers apartment. He couldn't believe how much the space had changed over the years. What started out as a New York home for Tony and Pepper became the "temporary" home of the Avengers, which then changed into the home of the Avengers plus all their children. Instead of liquor bottles and empty take out boxes, the living room was scattered with storybooks and children's toys. It was the home of a family, or families would be more correct.

"Unc Phil, Unc Phil!" Lilya shouted happily, running toward the agent.

Phil smiled as his goddaughter rushed toward him, easily lifting her into his arms. "Hello Lilya," he said, kissing her forehead. "How are you?"

"I eated 'pasgetti with Alex and Asgeir," she answered, pointing toward the kitchen. "Unc Bru made."

"Well that was very nice of him," Phil replied. "Are you ready to go?"

"Lilya, you can't leave without your shoes," Pepper said as she walked into the room, a pair of white sandals in her hand. "How are you, Phil?"

"I'm great; what about you?"

"It's insanity with these three running around the Tower," Pepper laughed, slipping on Lilya's shoes. She smoothed down Lilya's hair, tucking a stray strand back under her headband. With Clint and Natasha away on a mission everyone watched after Lilya, making sure their only niece was perfectly happy. "But I wouldn't have it any other way. Are you going to be coming back for dinner?"

"I might. If my sunshine asks me to come, I'll definitely be here," Phil answered. "Never can say no to her."

"Welcome to the club," she answered. "You guys have a good time. Be good for your Uncle Phil, alright sweetie?"

"Bye bye Auntie Pep!" Lilya said, waving at the woman.

* * *

Phil fed Lilya the last of the ice cream as they sat on the park bench, shaded from the sun's rays. Lilya watched the people walk by, occasionally asking Phil questions about them or asking to pet someone's dog.

"Unc Phil, why we here?" Lilya asked curiously.

"We're waiting for someone to come," he answered, wiping her mouth. "Two someones actually."

"Who?" she asked, standing on the bench.

"Just wait a minute and you'll see," Phil answered her, looking at her watch. He placed his hand against her back to make sure she didn't fall over the back of the bench. After a few minutes he stood up, setting Lilya on the ground. "Who's that over there?" he asked, pointing farther down the path.

Lilya squinted for a moment before smiling brightly, jumping up and down. "Mommy! Daddy!" she shouted, running toward them, her Uncle Phil forgotten.

"Hey there, Squirt," Clint said happily, picking up his daughter and hugging.

Lilya hugged Clint before reaching for Natasha. "Have you been a good girl for everyone?" Natasha asked, taking Lilya from Clint's arms.

"Always, Momma," Lilya answered, her red curls bobbing as she nodded her head.

"That means the Tower's probably been destroyed," Clint laughed, wrapping one arm around Natasha's waist as his other hand stroked Lilya's hair. "We missed you, baby."

Phil put on his sunglasses, nodding toward the pair of assassins before leaving. His last glance was at the little family, Lilya laughing as Clint peppered her with kisses, Natasha cradling her daughter safe to her chest, the picture of happiness if he ever saw it.

* * *

Reviews please!


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